The Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) is calling for automotive trades to be recognised alongside other priority occupations following Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's skilled migration announcement today.
With a workforce shortfall estimated at 38,000 motor trades professionals and technicians, MTAA says the Government's focus on addressing critical skills shortages is encouraging, but the omission of automotive trades from priority visa processing overlooks a workforce essential to keeping Australia's economy moving.
The Government's skilled visa processing framework prioritises occupations supporting law enforcement, defence, healthcare, teaching and construction, with agriculture and fisheries also identified in today's announcement. Automotive trades remain outside these occupational priority categories.
MTAA Executive Director, the Hon Bruce Billson, said the Minister's recognition of skilled migration as an important driver of economic prosperity was encouraging, but the current priorities appeared to overlook the automotive workforce that supports many of the industries identified.
"We welcome the Minister's focus on identifying the skills Australia needs and ensuring our migration program supports economic prosperity," Mr Billson said.
"But the significant and persistent workforce shortages in the automotive trades appear to have been overlooked, despite the essential role our industry plays in keeping other priority sectors moving."
"The Government has rightly identified industries facing workforce challenges. What appears to have been missed is how dependent those industries are on the skilled technicians and mechanics who keep their vehicles, machinery and equipment operating.
"Ambulances need servicing. Construction equipment needs maintaining. Trucks need repairing. These essential services all depend on skilled automotive workers.
"We hope this oversight can be addressed through further engagement with the Government, and that the central role of the motor trades is recognised in future migration priority settings."
MTAA's 2026 Industry Skills Shortages Survey, submitted to Jobs and Skills Australia, provides clear evidence of the recruitment pressures facing the sector, reinforcing the estimated shortfall of 38,000 automotive trade professionals and technicians.
More than 90 per cent of automotive employers report that recruitment is difficult or very difficult. The industry's vacancy fill rate is just 48 per cent, while average applicants per vacancy have fallen from 8.2 in 2024 to three in 2026. Almost seven in ten employers expect shortages to worsen over the next 12 months.
"These are genuine and persistent skills shortages affecting an industry that employs more than 320,000 Australians and supports almost every other sector of the economy," Mr Billson said.
"While automotive occupations remain eligible for skilled visas, their exclusion from the priority processing categories means they do not receive the same processing priority as occupations in the sectors the Government has identified."
Mr Billson said the Government's focus on construction was understandable given Australia's housing and infrastructure ambitions, but the automotive workforce was integral to delivering those objectives.
"Construction needs skilled automotive workers too. Excavators, cranes, trucks and mobile equipment all require qualified technicians to maintain and repair them.
"The same applies to healthcare, education, agriculture, mining and freight. These industries depend on reliable vehicles and machinery, and the skilled people who keep them operating.
"Recognising the occupations that directly deliver these services is important. Recognising the skilled workers who enable them is equally important."
Mr Billson said MTAA supported a balanced approach to workforce development, combining investment in domestic training with targeted skilled migration.
"Skilled migration must complement, not replace, a strong domestic training system. We also need better apprenticeship pathways, stronger training incentives and continued investment in developing Australia's own automotive workforce," Mr Billson said.
MTAA will seek a meeting with the Minister and the Department of Home Affairs in the coming weeks to discuss the sector's workforce needs and how automotive trades can be better recognised in Australia's skilled migration priorities.
ENDS
Media contact
Claire Johnson
Motor Trades Association of Australia
M: 0401 282 550 E: info@mtaa.com.au
