Automotive Trades Remain on National Shortage List— Now It’s Time for Action
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to keep Automotive Trades on Jobs and Skills Australia’s Occupational Shortage List (OSL) — but says recognition alone won’t fix the skills pipeline.
After five consecutive years of verified shortages across every state and territory, the challenge now is turning that recognition into meaningful action. The OSL identifies occupations facing proven shortages and underpins government decisions on training priorities, funding, incentives and skilled-migration pathways.
For the automotive sector, remaining on the list ensures that: migration pathways stay open where local supply can’t meet demand; public investment and training effort are directed to areas of greatest need; apprentices and employers can access additional support; and small businesses have certainty when planning future hiring and training.
However, despite these supports, ongoing shortages continue to take a heavy toll.
Workshops across Australia are facing longer repair wait times, growing backlogs and increasing fatigue among staff.
On current trends, The AAAA forecasts a national shortfall of 40,000 automotive technicians by 2030, and with current apprenticeship completion rates still below 40 percent, the scale of the challenge is clear.
AAAA Chief Executive Officer Stuart Charity said the outcome confirmed what every workshop already knows.
“The news that we’re in a labour shortage will surprise absolutely no one in our industry. Our members tell us every day that they can’t find qualified staff,” Mr Charity said.
“Keeping Automotive Trades on the Occupational Shortage List is the right decision, and we appreciate the Government listening to evidence. The next step is practical reform — lifting apprenticeship completions, cutting red tape, and ensuring migration pathways actually work.”
Mr Charity said staying on the list protects access to key levers — training, incentives and skilled migration — while government and industry work together on longer-term solutions.
The AAAA is calling for the Government to: lock in key automotive occupations on priority lists for at least five years to give employers certainty, cut excessive fees and delays for employer-sponsored skilled migration in proven shortage roles, remove restrictive occupational entry settings that add cost and delay without improving quality or safety and fix the apprenticeship model by improving workplace support, targeted incentives and flexible training pathways.
“Shortage lists and migration settings are stabilisers, not solutions,” Mr Charity said. “Real progress depends on governments sitting down with industry to deliver a practical roadmap that keeps workshops open, customers moving, and the economy productive.
“Industry will do its part to attract and develop talent, but we need governments to match that commitment with policies that make it easier to train, hire and keep skilled people in the trade.”