Registered Nurse (Mental Health) in New South Wales

Shortagein NSW · 2025

Registered Nurse (Mental Health) is in shortage in New South Wales in 2025 — employers across the state are struggling to fill these roles.

How NSW compares nationally

Australia-wide:Shortage

The NSW picture matches the national one — rated "Shortage" across Australia as a whole.

In shortage nationally, in NSW, in VIC, in QLD, in SA, in WA, in TAS, in NT and in ACT.

Five-year trend in NSW

Demand is outpacing supply. Open roles are growing faster than the people available to fill them. The outlook for getting work in this field is good and improving.

Each dot is one year's NSW rating: filled = in shortage (including a regional-only or metro-only shortage), hollow = no shortage.

Our read

Opportunity

Strong

In shortage nationally this year, and it's been short for most of the last five — steady demand, not a blip.

Getting in

Big commitment

The standard route is a bachelor degree or higher — several years of full-time study before you're earning in the field.

These read the occupation Australia-wide, and they're our analysis of the official data — not a Jobs and Skills Australia rating. How we work these out.

Getting in

Training level 1. Bachelor degree or higher. The training route is the same wherever you live — what changes by state is the demand at the end of it.

Why it's in shortage — and how hard it is to break in

Uncertain

Short of people, but no single clear cause

Jobs and Skills Australia found this group short of workers but couldn't pin the shortage on a single cause — training, suitability and retention signals were mixed.

The driver ("Uncertain") is Jobs and Skills Australia's Australia-wide analysis of this occupation's unit group (2544); the plain-English explanation is ours.

Will AI replace it?

Mixed AI exposure

Some parts could be automated; others are harder to replace. Expect AI to take on the routine pieces over time, while the hands-on, judgement-heavy parts stay human. How it lands depends on the specific role.

Our editorial read, based on the kind of work (its occupation group) — not a Jobs and Skills Australia rating, and not a prediction.

Skilled migration list

This occupation appears on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) as at 7 November 2025.

Being on the list says nothing about anyone's visa eligibility — it is one condition among many. This is general information, not migration advice. For advice about your circumstances, see the Department of Home Affairs skilled occupation lists or a registered migration agent (OMARA register).

Related occupations in NSW

Ratings shown are for NSW, 2025.

Registered Nurse (Mental Health) elsewhere

Victoria · Queensland · SA · WA · Tasmania · NT · ACT

Or see the full national profile for Registered Nurse (Mental Health) — including where the shortage sits state by state — or compare it against other occupations.

Explore more in-demand occupations

Know the moment new numbers land

You're already seeing the newest numbers: the 2025 Occupation Shortage List is the government's current release — checked against the source in July 2026 — and apprentice pay rates include the 1 July 2026 increase. When the next list lands, we'll send one note: what moved, what it means. No newsletter, no selling your address.

ANZSCO 254422 · NSW ratings from the Jobs and Skills Australia Occupation Shortage List 2025.