Top Emerging Careers in Australia — What the Data Says & What to Study

Andy Li
Oct 11
3 min read

Andy Li

11th Oct, 2025

Choosing what to study after high school can feel overwhelming — especially with new industries and jobs appearing every year. However, recent employment projection data shows strong, measurable trends. These give clues about which emerging careers in Australia are likely to grow, and which study paths are likely to pay off.

According to Jobs & Skills Australia (JSA):

Total employment in Australia is projected to grow by about 13.7% over the next ten years (to May 2034), adding nearly 2 million jobs. Jobs and Skills Australia
Over the ten years, Health Care & Social Assistance; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; and Education & Training are expected to contribute 50.4% of all employment growth. Jobs and Skills Australia
Occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher are projected to account for roughly 51% of the growth and those requiring Vocational Education & Training (VET) about 42.6%. Jobs and Skills Australia

Specific Emerging Careers in Australia and Data

1. Health & Social Care

Emerging Careers:

Aged & Disabled Care Workers • Nurses & Midwives • Allied Health Professionals • Health Tech Specialists

Aged care worker outside pushing a wheelchair user

Why It’s Growing (with Stats):

Health Care & Social Assistance is a major contributor to job growth—expected to increase its share of total employment from ~15.2% in 2023 to ~16.7% in 2033. Jobs and Skills Australia
Allied Health workforce grew ~15.8% and Medical Practitioners ~21.2% year-on-year recently. medicaljobsaustralia.com

What to Study:

Degrees: Nursing; Health Science; Physiotherapy / Occupational Therapy / Speech Pathology; Biomedical Science
Recommended VCE Subjects: Biology; Chemistry; Health & Human Development; English

2. Data, AI & Technology

Emerging Careers:

Cyber Security Analyst • Data Scientist / Engineer • AI / ML Specialist • Software Developer

Why It’s Growing (with Stats):

AI is an emerging technology which is having a massive impact on all industries.
AI-skill job postings jumped from ~2,000 in 2012 to ~23,000 in 2024. PwC
Sectors exposed to AI saw ~27% growth in revenue per employee vs ~9% in low exposure sectors. PwC

What to Study:

Degrees: Computer Science; IT; Software Engineering; Data Science / AI; Mathematics and Statistics; Physics
VCE Subjects: Mathematical Methods; Specialist Maths; Algorithmics; Physics; Applied Computing

3. Clean Energy & Sustainability

Emerging Careers:

Renewable Energy Engineers • Sustainability Officers • Environmental Scientists • Green Infrastructure Planners

Why It’s Growing (with Stats):

We need to take better care of the word and a large part of that means changing the way we produce energy and adapting our industries to operate more environmentally ethically.
Clean-tech manufacturing could create 53,000 jobs by 2035 and generate ~$215 billion in revenue under certain projections. News.com.au

What to Study:

Degrees: Environmental Science; Engineering (Environmental, Electrical, Renewable Energy); Sustainability; Climate Science
VCE Subjects: Chemistry; Physics; Environmental Science; Mathematical Methods

4. Education & Training

Emerging Careers:

Early Childhood Educators • Secondary Teachers (especially STEM) • VET / Corporate Trainers • Educational Technologists

Teacher sitting in a circle with young students.

Why It’s Growing (with Stats):

The high-tech careers of the future are going to need empowering, supportive educators to provide solid foundations to the learners of the future.
Education & Training is one of the three sectors expected to deliver over half of Australia’s job growth over the next 10 years. Jobs and Skills Australia+1

What to Study:

Degrees: Education (Primary / Secondary); Early Childhood Education; Learning Design; Graduate Diploma of Education
VCE Subjects: English; Maths; Science; depending on teaching specialisation

Skills Across All Fields

Here are skills that, statistically, are surfacing again and again across data on emerging roles:

Digital literacy (especially AI tools) – demand for AI skills in job ads has grown massively.
Adaptability and Cross-Disciplinary Skills: Being able to combine knowledge of multiple domains will be an in-demand capability.
Soft skills: Leadership, communication, problem-solving and collaboration.

Final Thoughts

With nearly 2 million new jobs projected over the next 10 years, and with sectors like health, data/AI, professional & technical services, and education leading the way, there are strong signals for students planning their futures.

If you’re deciding what to study, think about:

balancing your interests with growing sectors
choosing degrees or courses that equip you with both technical skills AND adaptability
selecting VCE subjects that give you options (science, maths, digital skills, communication)

BUT: The important thing to remember is that you should never solely base your decision on the words of others (including us), and you should never base these big, career-affecting decisions just on data. Do your own research and factor in your own strengths and interests into your decision as that is more likely to allow you to succeed and be fulfilled.