The demand for engineers across Australia, including regional areas, significantly outstrips the availability of talent. There are several reasons, including COVID-driven limits on migration and the increase demand for engineers created by a growing population’s infrastructure needs as well as government investment in stimulus projects.

Perhaps encouraging for many engineers from overseas, thought leaders are now focussing on the importance of reducing barriers to employing migrants to solve the skills gap.

Migrants represent about 60% of qualified engineers in Australia, many are highly skilled and yet currently not employed, or underemployed in the engineering industry. Some of the barriers faced by migrant engineers include lack of local experience, shallower networks and in some cases, a disparity in certification, references and qualifications.

It’s encouraging that employers in Australia are expressing interest in hiring qualified migrant engineers, recognising the many benefits the collective talent pool offers. In the future, it’s likely that qualified migrant engineers will benefit from better defined employment pathways and receive more support from employers and industry bodies to secure relevant employment. This will include initiatives to build migrant engineers’ local knowledge and experience, assistance with visas and credentials assessments and making it easier for employers to access this valuable talent pool of migrant engineers.