The Jobs and Skills Report 2024 released by the Australian Government revealed that managers are among the major occupation groups in persistent shortage. This indicates the need for professionals to develop the necessary skills to fill in leadership roles in response to this demand.
Studying an MBA can aid your journey to become a leader in this changing workplace and give you skills that will be favoured now and in the future of work.
The Australian skills shortage
According to Jobs and Skills Australia, shortages occur when employers struggle or aren’t able to fill vacancies for a particular occupation or face significant challenges in meeting specialised skill demands within that role at current levels of compensation, employment conditions and in reasonably accessible locations.
The Jobs and Skills report outlined reasons why shortages happen, which include:
- technological developments
- an ageing population
- constraints in the availability of qualified and experienced workers
- working conditions and pay
Businesses also recognise the ongoing issue of skills shortage in Australia. A 2025 report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) disclosed that 65 per cent of Australian employers find skill gaps to be a key business challenge from 2025 to 2030, slightly exceeding the global average of 63 per cent. This finding falls in line with Indeed’s Skillfully Aligned report in 2024, where 69 per cent of employers in Australia acknowledge an existing skills gap affecting their company and predict that this gap will widen within the next five years.
Leadership roles are in great demand
The government revealed in the 2024 report that 136 occupations were in persistent shortage from 2021 to 2024, including managers.
In December 2024, the Department of Home Affairs released the updated Core Skills Occupation List for its temporary work visa. The list outlines what jobs are in demand in Australia and it aims to bring in skilled migrants who can fill in these roles. Some of the leadership jobs on the list include chief executive or managing director, chief information officer, corporate general manager, finance manager and human resource manager.
At the same time, this great demand provides a positive job outlook for many professionals looking to enter leadership positions.
According to the Jobs and Skills report, manager roles are projected to grow by 151, 500 people or 8.2 per cent by 2029 and by 291,100 people or 15.7 per cent by 2034. This includes roles such as hospitality, retail and service managers, advertising, public relations and sales managers, construction managers and ICT managers.
The need to upskill the workforce
According to WEF’s 2025 report, employees around the world can expect that 39 per cent of their current skill set will change or become outdated over the next five years. With rapid technological advancements and evolving industry trends occurring on a global scale, business professionals are encouraged to upskill themselves to remain competitive and relevant in today’s job market.
Businesses are also taking action to remedy the skills gap in their workforce. WEF revealed that 85 per cent of employers worldwide intend to focus on upskilling their employees. Closer to home, 91 per cent of Australian businesses planned to either maintain or increase their spending on training and development over the next 12 months.
What skills are in demand in Australia?
Upskilling involves learning new skills or improving existing skills to meet the demands of a current or future role. However, what skills should business professionals, especially leaders and aspiring leaders, specifically focus on to get ahead in this competitive landscape?
Indeed’s 2024 report revealed the top five skills needed for success according to employers and employees, which are:
- communication
- teamwork and collaboration
- critical thinking and problem-solving
- adaptability and flexibility
- IT/tech savviness
Interestingly, despite the increasing usage of AI and tech in businesses now, soft skills are prioritised more than technical skills. The survey also revealed that millennials value soft skills more than any other generation. This makes sense as workers in this age group may be considering or entering leadership and management roles, so soft skills are important to help them manage people and projects effectively.
Favouring soft skills is also prevalent among public servants in Australia. According to a 2024 survey that involved more than 1,800 workers in Australia’s public sector, one third of public servants said their department’s most significant skills gaps involve soft skills.
When asked about the most critical skills for their department to develop in the next three to five years, the top answer was change management and leadership. Below are the other important skills in the top five:
- data-driven decision-making and analytics
- innovation and creative problem-solving
- advanced digital and ICT
- project and program management
As businesses recognise the powerful influence of advanced tech such as AI, they also realise the value of uniquely human skills that cannot be automated. Therefore, leaders with these skills would be highly in demand across all industries.
How a postgraduate degree can help you become a better leader
A great way for aspiring leaders to upskill is by pursuing a postgraduate business degree in leadership. The qualification helps you gain knowledge and skills that allow you to lead and manage a business effectively.
It also allows you to develop the soft skills necessary to lead others. The units can assist you in honing a variety of skills such as communication, management, strategic thinking and decision-making. These skills are often transferable, allowing you to advance your career and work in leadership roles across diverse industries.
Studying a postgraduate leadership course can also contribute to your professional development beyond the classroom. You can make connections with your peers, academic staff members and even industry professionals. This allows you to gain industry insights and get guidance from experienced leaders who can help you learn how to become a great leader.
Below are some leadership courses you can explore in Australia.
The Graduate Certificate in Leadership will enable you to develop specialised skills and knowledge in leadership, applicable across industries and professions such as business, education, health, government, and not-for-profit.
The program will develop the foundational skills and knowledge needed to effectively lead in changing environments, manage dispersed and diverse teams, provide leadership in online workplaces and make effective business decisions under pressure.
Specialise in Leadership at UniSQ and gain the skills needed to build mutually beneficial relationships, lead teams and implement organisational change.
Become a leader who can effectively manage teams while balancing the competing demands of stakeholders, society and environment in this fast-paced industry.
Develop critical transferrable skills such as adaptiveness, problem solving, communication and change management and use this knowledge to thrive in a variety of leadership roles.
As organisations face unprecedented change in their operating environments and markets, the demand for skilled and influential change leaders is growing. CQUniversity's Graduate Diploma of Leading Organisation Change will build your competencies in innovation and sustainable business development, leadership and integrity, organisational change management, operations management and business analytics to help you thrive and maximise performance.
In this course, you will develop an understanding of perspectives, frameworks and models relevant to influential leadership and change management, while expanding your ability to recommend practical innovation systems and programs for organisations to improve long-term sustainability.
Career opportunities are abundant as organisations around the world deal with rapidly changing environments. This course is specifically designed to suit individuals who are planning to work, or are already working, as managers.
During the course, you will study a blend of management and change leadership units. You will also have opportunities to engage with research and undertake reflective practice to contextualise and consolidate your learning.
Designed for current professionals, enjoy the flexibility to study part-time and online. You can also access recorded lectures at a time convenient to you.
Upon completion of the first four units, you will be eligible to satisfy the interim or exit award of the Graduate Certificate of Management. After completing this program, you will be eligible to proceed into the Master of Business Management with credit for eight units.
The Graduate Diploma of Organisational Coaching and Leadership from Charles Sturt University delivers a strong theoretical and practical grounding in organisational coaching and leadership.
This course has been designed and is delivered by both Charles Sturt University and the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL), a global leader in coaching education. You’ll study the leadership subjects with Charles Sturt and the coaching subjects with IECL.
This course is part of an articulated program of study. Articulated programs allow you to build on your study to achieve the right level of qualification for you
Corporate governance is experiencing rapid change due to socioeconomic and environmental issues related to organisational business models. Globally, there is a call for greater fairness and social responsibility in business; across Australia, thousands of governance and risk management professionals are expected to drive better governance within their organisations.
Responding to that need and in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this master's degree nurtures contemporary leadership that champions accountability, inclusion and diversity.
Co-designed with the Governance Institute of Australia and industry consultation, this course has aspects of international business, human resource management, and innovation and entrepreneurship to give you advanced corporate governance and responsible leadership skills.
In today’s fast-paced, globally connected world leaders must address volatility, uncertainty and the complexity of an ambiguous business environment. The Executive Master in Leadership, Strategy and Innovation postgraduate course is for professionals in private, public and not-for-profit sectors across the Asia Pacific region looking to move into higher levels of management.
The course content is delivered online through cutting edge social learning platforms. These platforms are designed to facilitate meaningful engagement with the learning resources, your peers and facilitators in a structured way.
This online learning environment with peers from the Asia Pacific Region offers an exceptional opportunity to supplement your understanding of core principles with rich and diverse global perspectives.
Embark on your leadership journey
If you have career aspirations to become a leader, there’s no better time than now to pursue that goal. As managers are some of the most in-demand professionals in Australia, it presents a great opportunity for you to develop the right skills that can open more doors to leadership roles. You can do this by pursuing a postgraduate course in leadership.
Discover various leadership courses available in Australia.