Engineering Talent in Australia
The demand has never been greater — and it keeps growing!
Engineering occupations have always featured prominently across the major migration occupation lists. During the pandemic and recovery period, a special list was established toaddress Australia’s critical skills shortages — the PMSOL occupation list, which currently covers 44 occupations, a number of which are engineering roles — including but not limited to:
Civil Engineer (233211)
Structural Engineer (233214)
Electrical Engineer (233311)
Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum) (233611)
Engineers have long been in short supply in Australia, and the pandemic only worsened things, creating a significant talent drought —the real estate and infrastructure sectorsare among the most severely understaffed industries at present. A quick online search turns up headline after headline about the engineering skills shortage, and nowemployers are constantly lobbying the government to allow overseas engineers to enter the country and provide support.
This is why engineering in Australia has long been prized for itshigh employment rates, strong salaries, and excellent migration pathways— advantages that have made it a popular choice among international students. As is well known,the average weekly salary of a civil engineer is $1,962, and this figure has been trending upward.Chemical engineers and mining engineers earn even more, with salaries reaching $3,000 per week.
Engineering talent in Australia
needs to be replenished by international students and migrants.
Let us now look at how each state has approached engineering this financial year.
NSW — New South Wales
It is widely known that New South Wales has the largest state nomination allocation of any state, making it the most competitive. For engineers who have recently received a Subclass 190 invitation, the minimum score required is above 90 points. The occupation list released by the NSW Government has also drawn considerable envy from those in Victoria.
Popular engineering occupations such as civil, electronics, and electrical engineering are essentially all included on the Subclass 190 list.As long as you are currently living in New South Wales and have been residing there for more than three months, you are eligible to apply for the NSW Subclass 190. There is no mandatory work experience requirement for NSW Subclass 190 applicants.
In the most recent NSW Subclass 190 invitation round this week, two of our clients who are Engineering Technologists received invitations.
The NSW Subclass 491 is even more straightforward — even if you are currently living in another state, you can still submit a Registration of Interest (ROI).Of course, if you wish to maximise your chances of receiving an invitation, it is advisable to wait for conditions to improve and then relocate to New South Wales. It is nonetheless worth trying as a backup option. For more detail, refer to:No work experience in accounting, only four 6s in IT, a niche non-regional occupation — and still a chance at an invitation! When it comes to your migration pathway, it is not about a lack of opportunity — it is about being decisive. And there are still two windows left!
ACT — Canberra
Canberra has its own Matrix scoring system and occupation list, and its state nomination rounds have remained consistent. Many engineering occupations appear on the ACT Critical Skills List.In the most recent update to the ACT Critical Skills List in September 2021, all existing engineering occupations were retained, and electronics and electrical engineers were added as new inclusions.
Residing and working in Canberra for 3 months makes you eligible to apply for the Subclass 491, and 6 months qualifies you for the Subclass 190.Engineering occupations receive invitations in virtually every round of the Subclass 491, including electronics, electrical, civil, and other engineering disciplines.
SA — South Australia
It is widely known that South Australia’s state nomination programme is relatively favourable to local graduates,with all common engineering occupations included on the occupation list.
Taking civil engineers as an example, we can see that:
If you are a South Australian graduate, applying for the Subclass 190 requires 12 months of work experience in your nominated occupation within the Greater Adelaide area, or 6 months in a regional area of South Australia. For the Subclass 491, only 6 months of work experience in your nominated occupation is required.
If you are an interstate applicant, applying for the Subclass 190 requires 18 months of work experience in the Greater Adelaide area, or 12 months in a regional area of South Australia. Likewise, the Subclass 491 only requires 6 months of work experience in your nominated occupation.
In fact,most state governments have shown considerable support for engineering occupations this financial year,including Western Australia and other states not mentioned above — contact us for more detail. Even the Subclass 189 migration pathway, which has largely been set aside by the Australian Government, has issued a small number of sporadic engineering invitations — recently we have seen mechanical engineering and chemical engineering invited,though these applicants have been waiting a very long time and have extremely high scores.
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University of New South Wales (UNSW)
Civil Engineering
The infrastructure of modern society — dams, bridges, pipelines, roads, and buildings — is designed and built by civil engineers. They are responsible for planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining roads, bridges, dams, water supply systems, sewerage systems, transport systems, and large-scale structures. Civil engineers also work in environmental fields, assessing the impact of major projects on the environment and addressing the collection and treatment of urban and industrial waste, pollution control, environmental management, and resource conservation.
Core subjects:Structural analysis, geotechnical engineering, engineering design, hydraulic engineering, urban development and transport planning, and more.
Master of Engineering (Civil)
Engineering at UNSW is ranked first in Australia and 38th in the world.The programme offers considerable flexibility and a diverse range of elective subjects. It also gives students exposure to other areas of knowledge, including project management, transport engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources, and wastewater treatment.
Intake dates: February and July.
Language requirement: IELTS overall band 6.5, with no individual band below 6.0.
Australian National University (ANU)
Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering is a core and critical discipline within modern science and technology. Traditionally defined as the collective body of knowledge involved in creating electrical and electronic systems, this definition — though once broad — has been far surpassed as technology has advanced at pace. As a professor at Stanford University observed: “Today’s electrical engineering encompasses almost every engineering activity related to electrons and photons.” The discipline, also referred to as electrical engineering and information science, or electrical engineering and computer science, focuses primarily on computing and information technology as its core research directions.
Core subjects:Circuit theory, analogue electronics, digital electronics, signals and systems, automatic control principles, power electronics, and power supply technologyand more.
Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering
Engineering at ANU is ranked fifth in Australia and 61st in the world.Key subjects include optical physics, fibre-optic communication systems, optical waveguide sensing, introduction to systems engineering, systems modelling, and solar optics. ANU graduates are eligible to apply for ACT state nomination, and local graduates benefit from additional Matrix points for their residence and study history.
Intake dates: February and July.
Language requirement: IELTS overall band 6.5, with no individual band below 6.0.
University of Adelaide
Mining Engineering
Mining engineering focuses on the fundamental theories and methods for extracting solid mineral deposits — including coal, metallic, and non-metallic ores — covering mine area planning, mine extraction design, strata control technology, mine safety technology, and engineering design. Graduates typically work across the mining industry, in areas such as oil and gas development planning, mine design and extraction, prevention of mine disasters such as collapse, and underground ventilation and safety systems.
Core subjects:Rock mechanics, coal mine geology, optoelectronics technology and applications, rock mechanics, and ground control and strata management
Master of Engineering (Mining)
Australia is a global hub for the development of mineral resources, with very strong demand for talent in related industries and a consistently high standard of education in the field. The mining and mining engineering programme at the University of Adelaide not only emphasises the technical analysis and evaluation of mining systems, but also gives students access to cutting-edge technology and the opportunity to participate in university research projects. Students learn alongside leading industry researchers, combining theory with practice to gain invaluable experience.
Intake dates: February and July.
Language requirement: IELTS overall band 6.5, with no individual band below 6.0.
When mining engineering comes up, many people’s first thought is Western Australia — but the latest official data shows thatMining is the fastest-growing industry in South Australia over the past five years, with employment growing by 111.7% — far outpacing all other sectors.
That covers everything we have on engineering for now. If you have any questions about our programme recommendations, feel free to scan the QR code to get in touch.
A Brief Overview of Engineering Skills Assessments
Finally, a brief note on the engineering skills assessment —Engineering occupations are assessed by Engineers Australia (EA). As a general rule,as long as you complete an EA-accredited engineering programme in Australia, you can obtain your skills assessment directly — with no English test, no work experience, and no professional year (PY) required. This is why choosing the right programme matters.
If the course is not a fully EA-accredited programme delivered in Australia, graduates of such programmes will need to submit a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) when applying for their skills assessment.
For those with an overseas engineering qualification, you can check the Washington Accord, Sydney Accord, and Dublin Accord websites to see whether your qualification is recognised. One important point: accreditation has a start date, and your graduation date must fall after that accreditation date in order for your qualification to be considered recognised.
Likewise, if your programme is not accredited, you will need to submit a CDR when applying for your skills assessment.
Study Abroad / Migration
Tips & Insights
Videos
Past Articles
No work experience in accounting, only four 6s in IT, a niche non-regional occupation — and still a chance at an invitation!
No work experience in accounting, only four 6s in IT, a niche non-regional occupation — and still a chance at an invitation!
These industries in Australia are all facing staff shortages and are raising salaries regularly!
Good news for Victoria’s state nomination — new eligible fields added! Emerging occupations are in high demand, with long-term government support!
These overseas ‘direct pathway’ migration streams are now open for applications, with hundreds of invitation places reserved!
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