The most in-demand jobs in Western Australia (2026 read)

Western Australia has 298 occupations officially in demand — the highest count of any state or territory in the country — according to the 2025 Occupation Shortage List from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), released October 2025 and the latest available. WA's list is also the most distinctive in the country outside the NT, with 27 occupations in shortage here that aren't short nationally.

The numbers

From the 2025 Occupation Shortage List, WA ratings:

• 298 occupations in shortage out of 916 rated — the most of any state (277 statewide, 20 regional-only, 1 metro-only). Down from 340 in 2024.
• By group: 129 professional occupations, 98 trades, 25 community and personal service, 22 machinery operators and drivers, 10 manager occupations — far more managers than any state bar the NT
• 27 occupations in shortage in WA but not nationally

What's in demand in WA

Trades — 98 occupations. The national core in full: electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, tilers, motor mechanics, diesel mechanics, panelbeaters, fitters, welders, metal fabricators, airconditioning mechanics, bakers, butchers, hairdressers — plus WA-only entries like Electronic Engineering Draftsperson and, in regional WA, Mine Deputy. Browse with the WA filter at /occupations.

The care workforce — WA's quiet emergency. Six care occupations are short in WA but not nationally: Community Worker, Disabilities Services Officer, Residential Care Officer, Youth Worker, Personal Care Assistant and Child Care Centre Manager. Our read: the eastern states' care shortages eased in 2025; WA's didn't. If your kid (or you) leans toward care work, WA is where the need is sharpest.

Farming and food production. Uniquely on the 2025 list, WA has Grain/Field Crop Grower, Fruit Grower and Vegetable Grower in shortage — the only state where farm-manager occupations crack the list — alongside meat processing roles (Meat Boner and Slicer, Slaughterer).

Management. Project Builder, Fleet Manager, Transport Company Manager, Nursing Clinical Director, Environmental Manager, Hotel Service Manager: ten manager occupations short in WA versus one nationally.

Health and teaching. As everywhere: registered nurses across the specialties, midwives, dentists, allied health, and teachers from early childhood to special education.

What a WA parent can do with this

Start with your kid's actual interests at /occupations, filtered to WA — with 298 occupations rated short, the odds their interest meets real demand are better here than anywhere in the country. If a trade shortlists, ask the school about a school-based apprenticeship (WA runs them like every state — paid work plus training from the senior school years). And think about the care lane seriously if it fits your kid: WA is one of only two jurisdictions where the whole community-services workforce is rated short, and those are careers a school careers night rarely pitches to boys at all — worth saying out loud at the kitchen table.

Our read

WA's labour market is the tightest in the country on this data, and the shortage isn't just tradies for the mines — it's carers, growers, drivers and the people who manage them. For a young West Australian, that breadth matters: nearly every practical path out of school points at a market that wants people. For a family elsewhere considering a move west, this list is the honest version of the pitch.

What this doesn't tell you

WA is a third of the continent under one rating, split only into metro and regional. The mining economy makes some of these gaps cyclical — a shortage rating is a 2025 snapshot of hiring difficulty, not a promise it holds through a commodity cycle. It also says nothing about pay or conditions, which in WA can vary enormously between Perth and a remote site. Five-year trends per occupation are on every profile page.

FAQ

What jobs are most in demand in Western Australia?

Trades lead by volume (98 occupations in shortage on the 2025 list). WA's distinctive gaps are the care workforce (community workers, disability services officers, youth workers, personal care assistants), agriculture (grain, fruit and vegetable growers), meat processing and a spread of management roles — all short in WA despite not being in national shortage.

Does WA have the worst skills shortage in Australia?

It has the most occupations in shortage of any state or territory on the 2025 list: 298, ahead of SA (289), NSW (287), QLD (280), VIC and NT (277 each), TAS (265) and ACT (256). "Worst" depends on where you stand — for job-seekers it can read as "best."

Are mining jobs in shortage in WA?

Some, yes: Mine Deputy carries a regional-shortage rating in WA on the 2025 list, and Miner is rated short in regional Australia nationally, alongside earthmoving plant operators. The bigger WA story is that the shortage extends well beyond the resources sector.

How current is this data?

It's the 2025 Occupation Shortage List, released October 2025 by Jobs and Skills Australia. The next annual list is due late 2026.