Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has opened a consultation on the new Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The Core Skills is one of the pathways in the Skills in Demand Visa introduced in the Migration Strategy, released in December 2023.
The Skills in Demand Visa (SID Visa) will retain the same subclass as the 482 Visa, remaining as the Skills in Demand Visa Subclass 482. The Core Skills Visa also seems to have similar requirements to the TSS 482 visa. Click here to check the 482 Occupation List.
Core Skills Occupation List
The Core Skills Occupation List is being designed to identify occupations that are essential for Australia’s economic health, particularly those that are in shortage and can benefit from employer-sponsored migration. The list is split into three categories:
- Confident On List – Occupations that Jobs and Skills Australia is certain should remain on the list.
Occupations such as Registered Nurse, Social Worker, Diesel Motor Mechanic, and IT Network Administrator are on the Confident On List.
- Confident Off List – Occupations recommended for removal based on current labor market insights.
Occupations such as Cafe or Restaurant Manager, Cattle Farmer, ICT Project Manager, and Real Estate Representative are on the Confident Off List.
- Targeted for Consultation – Occupations that require further input from stakeholders to determine their necessity and priority.
Occupations such as Chef, Cook, Finance Manager, Web Designer, Hairdresser, and Marketing Specialist are on the Targeted for Consultation List.
Why the Core Skills Occupation List is Important
The Draft Core Skills Occupations List is an important component of Australia's evolving migration strategy. This draft list categorizes occupations into different streams based on their importance to the economy and the current labor demand, providing a structured approach to manage employer-sponsored migration more effectively.
The JSA consultation refers to the Core Skills pathway for occupations being paid a median salary above $73,150 and below $135,000.
The draft list is based on labour market analysis of ANZSCO Skill Level 1-3 occupations, so some occupations in the other salary bands may be included in this list. However, it is not yet clear how this will be addressed in the visa regulations.
The JSA reports it has developed the draft lists benchmarked to the 2022 ANZSCO not the 2013 version which will capture new and emerging occupations and has also used the most up to date employment/labour market datasets.
Occupation Shortage List
Jobs and Skills Australia released the Australian Occupation Shortage List in October 2024. On their website, you can view the list to see if your occupation is in shortage in each state or territory.
For example, chefs are listed as a shortage occupation across all states and territories, while cooks are in shortage in specific regions like New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, but not in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, or the ACT.
However, this list may impact which occupations are included in the upcoming Core Skills List, expected to be released by the government when the new Skills in Demand Visa is introduced later this year.
For example, some occupations that are currently off the Core Skills list are not in shortage in most states. Positions such as Cafe or Restaurant Manager, Beef Cattle Farmer, and ICT Project Manager are only in shortage in the Northern Territory, while Real Estate Representative is listed as in shortage in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. This indicates that many occupations not included in the Core Skills List are not in shortage across the majority of states and territories.
Public Consultation Open for the Draft Core Skills Occupations List
The public consultation process closed on 10 May 2024 and was a critical step in ensuring that the Core Skills Occupations List is well-rounded and effective in meeting the strategic objectives of Australia's migration and labor policies. Engaging in this process is a way for stakeholders to contribute to the policy-making process, ensuring that their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed.
Guidelines on the timeline for the release of the final list are available on the JSA webpage.
As soon as the Core Skills Occupation List is available, we will update it on our website.
