Australia’s most in-demand jobs for the next five years and what they pay

It’s hard to decide what you want to do with your life when you’re a teenager sitting exams, let alone as an adult, but if your choice is dependent on what pays well and what’s in demand, this advice may help.

The Australian Government released a list of 10 jobs that will be most in demand during the next five years, based on shortages, expected growth and the Skills Priority List.

The list includes software engineers, registered nurses, cyber security specialists, data analysts, registered midwives, general practitioners, mental health social workers, IT project managers, electricians and construction managers.

“(The service sector) accounts for 80 per cent of all employment across Australia at the moment and that’s likely to continue going forward,” economist Callam Pickering, from jobs platform Indeed (Asia-Pacific), told 7NEWS.

“That’s underpinned by Australia’s demographics. We’ve got an ageing population, which is creating tremendous demands for doctors and nurses and aged care.

“We’ve got strong population growth, which is supporting employment gains in education.”

He added that other in-demand careers based on job listings were therapy-type roles, veterinarians, and agriculture jobs.

Pickering noted jobs in the technology and service sector would continue to grow into the future.

“There is an expectation the (tech) industry is going to bounce back and bounce back fantastic over the next three to five years,” he said.

“Some of the roles that have strong demand are machine learning and artificial intelligence.”

If one of your priorities is a job that pays well, tech is a good option.

“Looking specifically in tech, the highest-paid roll over the past six months is principal software engineer, $138,000, senior software engineer, $128,000,” Pickering said, saying employers often struggled to find sufficient candidates because of the complexity of the roles.

“The skills required in these roles change over time and, as a consequence of that, they tend to be very highly paid.”

Other high-paying jobs in demand include civil, aeronautical and mining engineers, which can earn between $80,000 to $165,000.

Pickering said more competitive fields included media and communications, architecture and pharmacy. He told 7NEWS job listings for media declined 30 per cent in the past year, and there were 34 per cent fewer job ads for architects and a 33 per cent decline in pharmacy roles.

Meanwhile, the least in-demand jobs include administrative assistants, telemarketers, data entry clerks, factory workers, retail cashiers, security guards, receptionists, warehouse workers, taxi drivers and customer service representatives.

LinkedIn’s Jobs on The Rise 2024: Australian in-demand roles list offered a similar analysis of the jobs market, with a few more specific roles, suggesting the 10 fastest-growing jobs in Australia were cybersecurity analyst, crime analyst, workplace specialist, sustainability manager, audiologist, buyer’s agent, energy director, diversity and inclusion specialist, clinical care manager and growth specialist.

Other careers on the list of 25, were construction estimator, platform engineer, health advisor and housing officer.

But even if you make a work-related decision you’re not happy with, don’t worry — the average Aussie switches jobs every two years and nine months, one study found — so you’re certainly not alone in that.

Research also shows most people will change careers at least once in their lives.

The average person has three to seven careers before they retire, and it may be more like five to seven for the current and upcoming generations of workers.

Top 10 most in-demand jobs (average salaries):

1. Software Engineer ($110,000 to $125,000)
2. Registered Nurse ($85,000 to $90,000)
3. Cyber Security Specialist ($134,995 to $183,715)
4. Data Analyst ($90,000 to $110,000)
5. Registered Midwife ($85,000 to $105,000)
6. General Practitioner ($365,000 to $385,000)
7. Mental Health Social Worker ($94,307)
8. IT Project Manager ($135,000 to $155,000)
9. Electrician ($85,000 and $110,000)
10. Construction Manager ($175,000 to $200,000)

Top 10 least in-demand jobs (average salaries):

1. Administrative Assistant ($60,000 to $70,000)
2. Telemarketer ($50000 and $70000)
3. Data Entry Clerk ($55,000 to $60,000)
4. Factory Worker ($50,000 to $55,000)
5. Retail Cashier ($55,000)
6. Security Guard ($60,000 to $80,000)
7. Receptionist ($55,000 to $65,000)
8. Warehouse Worker ($55,000 to $65,000)
9. Taxi Driver ($40,000 to $70,000)
10. Customer Service Representative ($60,000 to $70,000)