Engineering skills deficit now a crisis: Engineers Australia

Engineers Australia (EA) is raising the alarm on a crisis that needs a strong and swift response. According to the peak body there has been a lot of talk about our skills deficit this year, but in the engineering sector Australia has seen an alarming 41% increase in engineering vacancies over the past 12 months alone.

The profession has more than a skills problem, it’s in the grip of a gaping vacancies black hole compounded by COVID-19 and border closures. This is more shocking when examined in a context that still shows just 14% of working engineers across the nation are women. This statistic has not budged much in decades.

Australia has recorded the second-lowest proportion of engineering graduates compared to other disciplines among OECD countries. Of these graduates only 17% are women. EA said that the number is even more alarming when we know the nation is simply not keeping up with the need for STEM skills and the serious challenges this presents in an increasingly digital interconnected world. The Department of Education reports that the number of school students studying STEM in years 11 and 12 has flatlined at about 10% or less.

Engineering is the biggest employer of the STEM professions and the worst performer for female participation. Engineers Australia's 2022 Women in Engineering research is confronting reading on that score. Findings show the gender gap begins early and the biggest reason girls didn’t choose to study engineering is that in 2022 they continue to simply not know what engineering is, and what engineers do.

Other barriers include concerns around not being good enough at maths and physics; the perception of engineering as too male-dominated, challenging or boring; and girls not feeling supported to do well in STEM subjects from as early as primary school.

If indeed they are one of the handful of women who do pursue an engineering career, the research found that they experienced the work as meaningful and impactful.

On the flip side, women also reported leaving the profession because of a lack of visibility and limited career opportunities. EA is calling on the profession to uniformly act to address pay gap analysis, parental leave and flexible work.

In discussing the long-term response from our political leaders, EA said there has been more attention given to sports development than engineering and STEM, saying that decades ago, the Australian Institute of Sport was developed with serious investment and commitment to improving our medal targets off the back of headlines shaming us for our performance following the Montreal Olympics.

EA said it welcomes Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic’s announcement of an independent expert review panel for the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review; however, we need to move faster around engineering and ensure that all levels of government work together as a matter of urgency to stem this imbalance.

Actions should include increasing Australia’s teaching capability in STEM and giving engineers a seat at the policy table to guide and guarantee that the engineering skills perspective is incorporated into decisions and planning.

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