Ai Group’s Centre for Education and Training surveys a cross section of Australian businesses every two years to learn more about skills and workforce challenges across the economy. In 2024, the skills that technicians and trades workers bring are in high demand, and increasingly hard to find.

Key insights

• 77% of businesses surveyed reported an increased need for technicians and trades skills, and 79% said they were having difficulty finding or training staff to meet this need.
• 69% of the businesses surveyed reported an increased need for managers, with 58% having difficulty finding or training staff to meet this need. 66% reported an increased skill need in relation to professionals.
• To meet their skill needs over the next 12 months, 77% of businesses surveyed intend to re-skill existing staff on the job, 63% said they would employ experienced people.