Twelve occupations critical to manufacturing remain on the national occupation shortage list, with the sector's demand for skilled workers projected to grow by an additional 91,300 over the next decade to 2035. This is the picture set out in the 2026 National Manufacturing Workforce Plan, released today by the Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance (Manufacturing Alliance), the Jobs and Skills Council for the manufacturing industry.
Shortages in trade and technician occupations are persistently hard to fill because the training takes three or four years to complete. Shortages of fitters, welders and machinists have implications well beyond the factory floor, affecting critical national priorities including defence capability, the energy transition, and the growth of Australia's food and medicines manufacturing sectors.
Across the manufacturing sectors covered by the Plan, the workforce is projected to grow by 12.3 per cent by 2035 to 831,100 workers, with most of the growth expected in trade and technical roles. The Plan also shows significant growth is projected for higher-skilled occupations such as engineering professionals. The projected increase of 91,300 workers represents only workforce growth and does not capture the additional demand created by retirements and workforce attrition over the next decade.
Manufacturing depends on apprenticeships, however recent data shows fewer people are taking up these opportunities. For example, in the twelve months to 31 December 2025, commencements in metal trade apprenticeships were down more than 4 per cent on the prior year.
The Plan has also found that the manufacturing workforce is older than the national average, with a median age of 42 compared with 38, so future retirements will also add to the task over the same period.
Manufacturing Alliance CEO Sharon Robertson said the Plan set out the scale of the task facing the industry.
"Manufacturing is growing, and the roles it needs most are the ones that take the longest to train. Twelve occupations critical to this industry are in national shortage, and those shortages have proven persistent," Ms Robertson said.
The Plan examines a range of solutions to the enduring manufacturing workforce challenges; improving attraction and apprenticeship pathways, supporting an ageing workforce, increasing workforce diversity, and ensuring national training responds to new and emerging skills and technology.
This Plan is the first in a series under a national-to-sub-sector framework. Four sectoral plans will follow across 2026 and 2027, covering Aerospace; General Manufacturing and Engineering; Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical and Laboratory; and Process and Light Manufacturing.
Ms Robertson said the Plan was the first step in a longer program of work.
"Food security, defence, and the energy transition. Every one of these national priorities relies on a skilled manufacturing workforce. That is why this Plan puts the evidence in one place for industry, training providers and government, and why the four sectoral plans that follow will take it to the level where workforce decisions actually get made."
Ms Robertson is
