EA warns skills shortages remain profession’s biggest challenge

Engineers Australia has warned that skills shortages and workforce gaps remain a significant challenge following a recent online industry poll of more than 450 industry professionals.

Skills shortages and workforce gaps emerged as the leading concern (44.4%) ahead of workforce burnout and workload (30.3%), funding pressures (20.2%) and project complexity (5.1%).

Engineers Australia Chief Engineer Katherine Richards said the results reflect growing concern across the profession about whether Australia will have the engineering capability needed to meet future demand.

“These results point to a profession that understands the scale of the challenge ahead,” she said. “Our population is growing rapidly. Communities are expanding. Infrastructure demand is increasing. We are building and upgrading the systems Australians rely on every day, from transport and housing to energy, water and digital connectivity. That future cannot be delivered without enough engineers.

“At the same time, a significant proportion of the engineering workforce is approaching retirement age, while participation in STEM subjects, particularly advanced mathematics, continues to decline in many parts of the country.”

Engineering demand is expected to grow by around 20% over the next decade while approximately 70,000 engineers are projected to retire.

Richards said workforce capability must remain a national priority if Australia is to deliver the infrastructure and systems future communities will rely on.

“Engineering underpins almost every aspect of modern life, from transport and housing to water, energy, communications and defence,” she said. “The challenge is not simply replacing workers leaving the profession: it is ensuring we have enough engineers with the right skills to meet increasing demand in a more complex and technology-driven environment.”

To meet future demand and maintain sovereign capability, Engineers Australia is calling for a coordinated national approach to workforce planning, including stronger collaboration between government, industry and universities, expanded industry-linked training pathways, and sustained investment in research and engineering infrastructure.

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