Australia's future labour market strength depends on developing, using and growing people's capabilities across their working lives.
With factors such as an ageing population, rapid technological change and industry transformation, Australia faces a challenge beyond simply having enough skilled workers.
The challenge is to match those skills to changing demands and to help people to move between opportunities.
Jobs and Skills Australia's (JSA) latest report, Adult Learner Cohorts: Unpacking Adult Learner Participation and Demand, shows that the biggest risk to meeting this challenge may be Australia's limited culture of lifelong learning.
The report found that demand for and participation in adult learning varies across labour force and socio-demographic groups in ways that pose challenges for productivity, labour force participation and equity.
"It's never been more important to participate in lifelong learning," said JSA's Deputy Commissioner Megan Lilly.
"We all want to future-proof our careers so that we have the skills and knowledge we need to succeed.
"Increasingly, that will depend on not only being supported by our employers to gain and apply new skills, but our own individual willingness to adapt and learn."
JSA found that around 63% of people aged 25-64, or nearly 9 million people, did not-and did not want to-participate in structured learning in 2024-25.
Improving the relevance, visibility and demonstrated benefits of adult learning are important steps to increasing that number.
Among those who wanted to participate, time and cost were the most common barriers to access learning opportunities, particularly for women.
Women are also more likely than men to undertake adult learning outside work hours and to pay for training themselves, highlighting a need for stronger supports in female-dominated occupations and industries.
Following the release of the Jobs and Skills Report 2026 in October, this latest report shows that examining the role of lifelong learning in the context of the profound forces reshaping Australia's economy is an important factor in achieving a strong future labour market.
The report is available on the Adult Learner Cohorts: Unpacking Adult Learner Participation and Demand page on the JSA website.
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About Jobs and Skills Month
Jobs & Skills Month is a collaborative, national initiative led by Jobs and Skills Australia that runs from 20 October to 20 November 2026. The inaugural program highlights the vital role that the employment, education and training sectors play in supporting individuals, industries and the Australian economy. Visit www.jobsandskillsmonth.gov.au f
