Make your next career decision an informed one. Understanding which industries are hiring and which ones are firing is a key consideration for anyone looking to make the switch to a new career path. The Australian economy is currently going through the end of a transition away from manufacturing and other secondary industries and towards the tertiary and quaternary sectors, with a greater focus placed on the provision of services and the production of information, respectively. To help you make the right choice in this changing economy, we’ve done a deep dive into figures provided by the Department of Employment, highlighting industries with high projected growth rates. Read on to learn more.

A ballooning service industry

The chief success story for the Australian economy continues to be the services industry, which has seen meteoric growth since the winding down of local manufacturing and processing operations. While the mining industry – once the largest employer in several states – slowly recovers from the downturn of the past few years, it is unlikely to ever return to the prominence it had at the height of the iron ore boom, with services continuing to dominate state and national economies. This is reflected in the staggering projected growth rates for general clerks and sales assistants, both taking the top two spots on projected growth. So important are both occupations to the economy that the gap between sales assistants and registered nurses – the third fastest growing occupation – is larger than the projected growth for entire industries, such as truck drivers, ICT managers and primary school teachers. Retail managers also figure heavily in the nation’s economy, ranking eighth in projected growth.

Opportunities abound in care

An ageing and increasingly time-poor population has led to an explosion in the number of vacancies in childcare, nursing, and aged & disabled care. Together, these three industries are set to add nearly 100,000 jobs by November 2019. Registered nursing alone is set to grow by more than 41,000 roles, making it a great choice for anyone looking to enter healthcare. One final word of advice we can offer is that there’s never been a better time to take up a certificate. While roles requiring a bachelor degree or higher are set to grow by nearly 500,000 vacancies, the second largest area of growth is in industries requiring a Certificate II or III. If you’ve previously gone through instruction or have gained real-world experience in a field, speak to the team at Skills Certified and find out if you’re eligible to have your prior learning recognised with a certificate.