Western Australia will need more than 200,000 additional workers over the next decade, with construction, clean energy, defence and healthcare among the sectors facing growing demand, according to a new state government workforce strategy.
The Cook Labor Government’s WA Workforce Strategy 2026–2030 sets out a five-year plan to address skills shortages, expand training capacity and prepare the state’s workforce for major economic and infrastructure projects.
The scale of the challenge is significant. Western Australia is expected to require an additional 125,000 skilled construction workers by 2035, 49,000 workers in the care sector and 22,000 in clean energy by 2031.
The defence industry will also need an estimated 4,100 additional workers by 2035.
The strategy identifies nine major workforce challenges and proposes five priorities supported by 40 targeted actions. It aims to coordinate efforts across government, employers, unions, universities, TAFEs and private training providers.
Skills and TAFE Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the state was entering a period of substantial economic growth, driven by investment in resources, housing, infrastructure, defence, advanced manufacturing and clean energy.
She said a skilled and productive workforce was essential to supporting economic diversification and ensuring businesses could access the workers they needed.
The strategy was developed following six industry roundtables and consultations involving the State Training Board, Industry Training Councils, the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund and more than 60 submissions.
One of its key measures is to explore opportunities to increase apprenticeships by using government agencies’ asset investment and maintenance programmes to create additional training pathways.
The government also plans to develop training opportunities in emerging industries, including a clean energy hub and expanded capability to deliver training aligned with Australia’s AUKUS defence requirements.
Regional workforce development and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people are also included in the strategy, alongside efforts to improve connections between schools, TAFEs, universities, employers and communities.
The care sector is identified as a particularly important area of growth, with increasing demand for services supporting vulnerable people while also enabling more Australians to participate in the workforce.
The government says existing initiatives, including Fee Free TAFE, low-fee training, investment in TAFE infrastructure and Jobs and Skills Centres, will provide a foundation for the next phase of workforce development.
Sanderson said the strategy would build on investments made since 2017 to expand access to vocational education, apprenticeships and training.
The government will work with industry, unions, education providers, Aboriginal partners and communities to deliver the 40 actions over the next five years.
The strategy is intended to strengthen local workforce supply and ensure Western Australians can access skilled employment opportunities as the state’s economy expands.
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