If you are one of the thousands of skilled workers thinking of moving to Australia somewhere in the near future, knowing which occupations are in demand in Australia in 2021 can help in making your migration to Australia easier.
In fact, one of the eligibility requirements under the Skilled Migration program is that as an applicant, you must choose an occupation that is available in the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) list. The SOL list contains the occupations that are currently acceptable for migration to Australia. The occupations in the SOL are updated regularly and reflect the changes in the Australian labor market.
The list is revised regularly by the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) and at present there are over 200 occupations in the list. The SOL gives details of occupations that are in shortage in Australia.
For the year 2020-21, the top ten occupations with the highest number of places in demand and the occupation ceiling under the Skilled Migration program is given below:
- Nurses – 17,859
- Electricians – 8,021
- Carpenters and Joiners – 6,812
- Secondary School Teachers – 8,716
- Metal fitters and Machinists – 6,335
- Motor Mechanics – 5,205
- Management Consultant – 4,526
- Construction Managers – 7,145
- Software and Application Programmers – 8,405
- Structural Steel and Welding Trade Workers – 4866
Here are the details of the highest paid professionals in the Skilled Occupation List:
| Occupation | Average yearly salary |
| Information technology | 91,200 AUD |
| Telecommunications | 80,000 AUD |
| Engineering | 76,600 AUD |
| Marketing, advertising, PR | 102,000 AUD |
| Construction, real estate | 53,400 AUD |
Occupation ceiling
An ‘occupation ceiling’ means a limit on the total number of Expression of Interests (EOIs) that can be selected for skilled migration from any particular occupation group.
Once the occupation limit is reached for any specific occupation, no further invitations will be received for the same for that program year.
In such a scenario of the occupation ceiling being reached, invitations will then be alternatively issued to those interested in migrating to Australia from other occupations groups even if they have a low ranking on the score calculator.
The occupation ceiling is introduced to ensure that a limited number of occupations do not make up the biggest percentage of the skilled migration program. The ceiling ensures that more invites are not issued to these professionals once the limit is reached and professionals from lower ranking occupations in the list also get a chance to work in Australia.
Even though the number of job openings is lesser compared to 2019 due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, still there are considerable number of jobs available for those with the required qualifications.
The SOL for 2021 promises a range of jobs with good salaries in different sectors and you have good chances if you are planning to move to Australia for work.
Begin your Australia PR journey by getting your score from our Australia Skilled Immigration Points Calculator.