Australia has no shortage of ambitious projects.

Across infrastructure, renewable energy, resources, defence, housing and major construction, billions of dollars are being invested in projects that will shape the country for decades.

The challenge is finding enough engineers to deliver them.

Engineers Australia has called for a national target of 60,000 additional engineering graduates by 2035, warning that Australia needs to significantly strengthen its engineering workforce to meet future demand.

This is not simply a university or training issue. It is a workforce issue that Australian engineering employers are already dealing with.

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Engineering demand is putting pressure on employers

Australia's engineering skills shortage has been building for years.

Engineers Australia reports that demand for engineering skills has been outpacing supply, driven by factors including public infrastructure investment, resources activity, the clean energy transition, and the need to adapt infrastructure to climate change.

The pressure is particularly evident across major infrastructure projects.

Infrastructure Australia's 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report estimates that shortages across engineers, scientists, and architects could peak at approximately 126,000 workers in late 2026.

The challenge is also being felt at a local level. In July 2026, Engineers Australia reported that 40.3% of Australian councils had engineering vacancies, increasing to 60.3% of regional councils.

For engineering businesses, contractors, and project owners, these shortages have practical consequences. Vacancies can mean longer recruitment periods, pressure on existing teams, and difficulty mobilising the people required for new projects.

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Why can't Australia simply train more engineers?

Developing more Australian engineers must be a central part of the long-term solution.

Engineers Australia has called for greater investment across the engineering pipeline, from STEM education and university participation through to graduate development and professional training.

But there is a timing problem.

Engineers take years to educate and develop, while many Australian businesses need experienced engineering professionals now.

There is also a demographic challenge. Engineers Australia's 2026 Federal Budget submission notes that Jobs and Skills Australia estimates Australia will require approximately 20% more engineers by 2035, while Engineers Australia estimates around 70,000 engineers could retire over the coming decade.

That combination makes workforce planning increasingly important.

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International engineers are already an important part of Australia's workforce

International recruitment isn't a new solution for Australian engineering.

It is already an established part of the engineering workforce.

According to Engineers Australia, 70% of the growth in Australia's engineering labour force between 2016 and 2021 came from overseas-born engineers.

Experienced migrant engineers are particularly important in helping Australia respond to immediate workforce requirements while the domestic engineering pipeline continues to develop.

International recruitment therefore shouldn't be viewed as a replacement for developing Australian engineers.

The two approaches need to work together.

Australia needs to train more engineers locally, improve graduate pathways, retain experienced professionals, and make effective use of appropriately qualified international engineers.

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Which engineering skills are in demand?

The shortage isn't uniform across every engineering discipline.

Jobs and Skills Australia data referenced by Engineers Australia continues to identify shortages across a range of specialised engineering occupations.

Engineers Australia reported in late 2025 that more than 15 key engineering occupations were in national shortage, including areas such as:

• Electrical Engineering

• Mining Engineering

• Geotechnical Engineering

• Environmental Engineering

• Water Engineering

• Petroleum Engineering

• Marine Engineering

• Biomedical Engineering

• Aeronautical Engineering

Demand will naturally vary by location, project pipeline, and industry.

For employers, this makes workforce planning more important than simply waiting until a vacancy becomes urgent.

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International recruitment requires planning

Recruiting internationally can significantly expand the available talent pool, but it is not as simple as advertising a position overseas.

Employers need to consider candidate experience, qualifications, occupational requirements, salary, location, migration eligibility and the appropriate employer-sponsored visa pathway.

Depending on the occupation and circumstances, skills assessment, professional registration or other requirements may also need to be considered.

This is why international recruitment is generally most effective when it forms part of a longer-term workforce strategy rather than being used only when a position has already become critical.

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Recruitment and migration need to work together

One of the complications for employers recruiting internationally is that recruitment and migration are often treated as separate processes.

In practice, they are closely connected.

An excellent candidate who cannot satisfy the relevant migration requirements may not be a viable hire. Likewise, someone who is technically eligible for a visa still needs to be the right person for the role, project and organisation.

At Engineering Personnel, this is where our model differs from a traditional engineering recruitment agency.

As part of the Konnecting group, we combine specialist engineering recruitment with Australian migration expertise. This allows employers to assess both the recruitment and migration considerations involved in hiring skilled professionals from overseas.

For employers, the objective is straightforward: identify suitable engineering talent and establish a compliant pathway for bringing that talent into the Australian workforce.

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What should engineering employers be doing now?

For businesses expecting engineering requirements over the next several years, there are three areas worth considering.

Plan workforce requirements earlier.
If upcoming projects will require specialist engineering capability, identify potential shortages before mobilisation. International recruitment and migration can take considerably longer than domestic recruitment.

Consider the global talent pool.
If a position has been difficult to fill locally, restricting recruitment to the Australian market may unnecessarily reduce the available candidate pool.

Assess migration feasibility early.
Visa eligibility shouldn't be considered only after an international candidate has been selected. Understanding the potential migration pathway earlier can help employers avoid investing time in candidates who ultimately cannot proceed.

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Building Australia's engineering workforce

There is no single solution to Australia's engineering workforce challenge.

Australia needs more students choosing engineering. It needs graduates entering and remaining in the profession. It needs experienced engineers to stay in the workforce. And it needs employers to make better use of skilled engineers from around the world where suitable Australian workers cannot be sourced.

Engineers Australia's proposed target of 60,000 additional engineering graduates by 2035 illustrates the scale of the challenge.

For Australian engineering employers, the message is equally important: workforce planning cannot begin when a project is already short of engineers.

Engineering Personnel works with Australian employers to recruit qualified engineering professionals locally and internationally, supported by Konnecting's registered migration professionals where employer-sponsored migration is required.

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Looking for engineers?

Submit a Vacancy or speak with Engineering Personnel about your upcoming workforce requirements.

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References

Engineers Australia – Engineering Tomorrow / 60,000 additional engineering graduates by 2035.
Engineers Australia, April 2025.

Engineers Australia – 2026 Federal Budget Submission⁣
Includes the 60,000 additional graduate target, projected engineering workforce growth, and retirement estimates.

Infrastructure Australia – Infrastructure Market Capacity Report 2025
includes infrastructure workforce demand and projected occupational shortages.

Engineers Australia – Engineering Statistics
Includes engineering workforce growth, migration, and skills-shortage data.

Engineers Australia – Engineering shortages continue to hold back local infrastructure delivery as of
July 2026. Includes national and regional local-government engineering vacancy data.