Australia is being urged to attract and retain more highly skilled migrants as rapid growth in artificial intelligence, clean energy, cybersecurity, quantum technology and defence places increasing pressure on the country’s science and technology workforce.
Science & Technology Australia has warned a federal parliamentary inquiry that the country cannot meet its future workforce requirements through domestic training alone.
The organisation’s policy chair, Dr Kathy Nicholson, said overseas-born science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals were essential to Australia’s productivity, economic growth and wellbeing.
Jobs and Skills Australia projections indicate that STEM positions requiring at least a bachelor’s degree could grow by 24 per cent to almost 2.9 million roles by 2035.
Australia is also expected to face shortages of:
The shortages are emerging as Australia pursues major national priorities including the transition to net-zero emissions, AUKUS, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cybersecurity.
Australia currently accepts about 86,000 skilled migrants annually, according to reports, but technology and science representatives argue the system needs to respond more effectively to rapidly changing workforce demands.
Science & Technology Australia said the domestic skills pipeline was showing signs of strain.
Year 12 STEM subject enrolments have reportedly fallen by 10 per cent over the past decade, alongside declining participation in intermediate and advanced mathematics and physics. Recent results have also raised concerns about Australian students’ mathematics performance.
At the same time, almost half of the country’s practising scientists have indicated they are considering leaving the profession.
Overseas-born workers already play a significant role in addressing these pressures. The proportion of employees in STEM and health occupations born outside Australia has increased from 38 per cent to 43 per cent in approximately a decade.
Science & Technology Australia has recommended that the federal government:
Technology organisations have separately warned that visa delays and uncertainty are causing Australia to lose qualified workers to competing countries.
The Australian Computer Society previously told the parliamentary inquiry that many successfully assessed IT professionals had yet to receive visa invitations. Industry representatives also argued that occupational lists and visa priorities were struggling to keep pace with the rapid emergence of new AI-related roles.
While skilled migration remains politically sensitive amid pressure on housing and infrastructure, advocates maintain that a targeted program—combined with stronger domestic education and training—is necessary for Australia to compete in the global race for talent and capitalise on the innovation boom.
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