Latest Victorian Skills Plan maps Victoria’s workforce needs

The Victorian Skills Plan for 2026 into 2027 sets out the skills and workforce Victoria needs to support a strong economy, respond to technological change, and prepare Victorians for secure and rewarding careers.

Around 408,000 new workers are expected to enter Victoria’s workforce over the next 3 years, including 89,000 in regional Victoria. Over the next 10 years, around 1.5 million new workers are expected across the state.

Vocational education and training (VET) provides pathways into many in-demand jobs. Around 196,000 new workers are expected in jobs that typically require a VET qualification over the next 3 years, including electricians, plumbers, ageing and disability carers, early childhood educators, carpenters and joiners, and nursing support and personal care workers.

Victoria’s growing sectors offer a range of job opportunities, with strong demand for workers across areas including health care and social assistance, and construction. Health care and social assistance is expected to need 98,600 new workers over the next 3 years, while construction is expected to need 33,000.

The Skills Plan responds to the changing nature of work as artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies reshape jobs and the skills employers need. Around 8 in 10 relevant job advertisements for VET-aligned jobs in 2025 required at least one key non-technical skill, highlighting the importance of capabilities such as communication, initiative and leadership, critical thinking and problem solving.

VET provides pathways into many jobs that are resilient to AI automation, particularly hands-on and service-oriented occupations such as ageing and disability carers, electricians and plumbers. The Skills Plan highlights the need for learners and workers to develop both technical expertise and transferable knowledge and skills to adapt as workplaces continue to change.

The Skills Plan sets a clear direction for a strong and responsive VET system, with modern qualifications that equip Victorians with transferable skills and knowledge to succeed in different jobs and career pathways. A skills-centred approach to vocational education supports greater workforce mobility and inclusion, better alignment between training and business needs, and improved productivity and innovation.

Victoria is strengthening its skills system through initiatives including TAFE Centres of Excellence, the Victorian Digital Skills Compact and new training in areas such as clean energy and construction. These initiatives are helping build a more adaptable workforce and training that continues to respond to the needs of learners, workers and industry.

Read the Victorian Skills Plan for 2026 into 2027 and explore Victoria’s future workforce and skills needs.

Read more Victorian Skills Authority news.