June 30, 2021

National Skills Commission publishes the Skills Priority List

The National Skills Commission’s Skills Priority List (SPL) has been published and is now publicly available.

The SPL provides a current labour market rating and a future demand rating for occupations nationally. Current labour market ratings are also available for occupations at a state and territory level.

The SPL provides the backbone piece of labour market analysis on occupations that will inform a range of subsequent government policy responses, including the targeting of apprenticeship incentives, training funding and skilled migration, although the SPL will not be the sole input to government decisions on these policies.

The evidence supporting the development of this list includes labour market data analysis, employer surveys, and stakeholder consultation with federal and state/territory government agencies and representative bodies.

We thank those who provided input to the SPL process. Your responses have provided us with valuable insights and evidence on the current and future state of the labour market. The submissions received were a key input to the assessment of occupations for the SPL.

While the SPL will be updated annually, the NSC is keen to remain across any changes to the labour market for occupations as they occur, especially considering the ongoing impact of COVID-19. The NSC welcomes input on the SPL year-round as part of our continual review process. Submissions can be provided to SkillsPriorityList@skillscommission.gov.au. In addition, we plan to go out with the initial stakeholder survey for the 2021-22 process in September this year. We will provide further details to you closer to the date.

2021 Skills Priority List