Technicians and Trades Workers
Pastrycook in Western Australia
Pastrycook is in shortage in regional Western Australia in 2025 — employers outside the capital are the ones struggling to hire.
How WA compares nationally
The WA picture matches the national one — rated "Regional shortage" across Australia as a whole.
In shortage in ACT; in shortage in regional areas across the country, in regional NSW, in regional VIC, in regional QLD, in regional SA, in regional WA, in regional TAS and in regional NT.
Five-year trend in WA
Strong, steady demand. Employers have struggled to fill these roles every year for the last five — a persistent shortage, and a dependable outlook for finding work.
Each dot is one year's WA rating: filled = in shortage (including a regional-only or metro-only shortage), hollow = no shortage.
Regional vs metro in WA
The shortage is in regional Western Australia. Employers outside the capital city are the ones struggling to hire — if you live in a regional area, that's demand right where you are.
Our read
Opportunity
StrongIn shortage nationally this year, and it's been short for most of the last five — steady demand, not a blip.
Getting in
Steady buildThe standard route is a diploma or a Certificate III/IV — often an apprenticeship, where you're paid to learn on the job over a few years.
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 3. Certificate IV, or Certificate III plus at least two years on-the-job training. 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
People get in, then leave
Training isn't the barrier — keeping people is. Pay, conditions or the nature of the work push people out, and that's what keeps the shortage open. Usually easier to get into; worth asking people doing the job why others leave before counting on staying.
The driver ("Retention gap") is Jobs and Skills Australia's Australia-wide analysis of this occupation's unit group (3511); the plain-English explanation is ours.
Will AI replace it?
Hands-on, in-person work that's hard to automate. This is exactly the kind of non-routine, physical, face-to-face work that AI and automation struggle with most — a safer bet for a long career.
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.
The legal instrument also lists circumstances in which this occupation does not apply — see the official list for the detail.
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 WA
Ratings shown are for WA, 2025.
Pastrycook elsewhere
NSW · Victoria · Queensland · SA · Tasmania · NT · ACT
Or see the full national profile for Pastrycook — including where the shortage sits state by state — or compare it against other 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 351112 · WA ratings from the Jobs and Skills Australia Occupation Shortage List 2025.