STEM Careers List for Australia: Future Jobs

Using Jobs and Skills Australia employment projections, a core STEM workforce of about 2.0 million jobs is estimated for May 2025. This figure is calculated by adding five clearly STEM ANZSCO 2-digit groups, confined to professionals and selected para-professional and trade categories: Design, Engineering, Science and Transport Professionals (23), ICT Professionals (26), Engineering, ICT and Science Technicians (31), Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers (32), and Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers (34).

On this simplified definition, STEM employment is projected to rise to about 2.14 million by May 2030 and 2.29 million by May 2035. That is growth of about 169,000 jobs over five years (8.6%, roughly 1.7% per year) and about 319,000 jobs over ten years (16.2%, roughly 1.5% per year).

Jobs in STEM majors

We broke down Australia’s employment projections to find out where science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills are actually in demand. Here are the top occupational fields where STEM knowledge and abilities are essential for getting the work done. Salary data are from au.indeed.com.

If you are using this list to plan postgraduate study, treat each category as a starting point for course shortlisting. Look for degrees that build the technical core of the role, then add a postgraduate layer that matches your intended track, such as cybersecurity, data science, health analytics, engineering management, or spatial and urban systems.

1. ICT Professionals, Including Data Analysts

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals are projected to soon become Australia’s largest group of STEM workers. In the projections, ICT Professionals are estimated at 419,700 workers in May 2025, rising to 481,900 by May 2030 and 526,400 by May 2035.

The ever-expanding role of information technology, including the harnessing of big data, explains growing demand for ICT professionals. Career opportunities are strongest in the areas of software and application programming, systems administration and security, computer network management, and business and systems analysis.

ICT professionals usually have a bachelor degree in information technology or computer science. Many specialised bachelor and masters are available to help you break into the field. The industry also places a premium on job-relevant knowledge demonstrated or learned through recent projects.

Indicative salary: The average salary for a software engineer is $107,399 per year in Australia, based on 1.8k salaries reported (updated 26 January 2026).

2. Business Professionals Who Use Mathematics

Around one in five STEM workers are business professionals. They rely on mathematics for activities such as accounting, financial analysis, auditing, statistical analysis and economic modelling. In the projections, the Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals group is estimated at 947,900 workers in May 2025, rising to 1,051,600 by May 2030 and 1,135,100 by May 2035.

Typically, these number crunchers hold a business degree with a major in a field such as accounting, finance, statistics or economics. They may also hold a science degree with a mathematics or statistics major.

Indicative salary: The average salary for an accountant is $79,819 per year in Australia, based on 2.2k salaries reported.

3. Health Professionals, Including Physicians

Health professionals make up the third largest STEM occupational group. Here, we are counting most health professionals but not nurses and midwives (in which case the group would more than double in size and be easily the largest). In the projections, Health Professionals are estimated at 855,300 workers in May 2025, rising to 986,900 by May 2030 and 1,098,900 by May 2035.

• Nursing and midwifery accounts for the bulk of jobs for health professionals.
• Like other health professions, science knowledge is required to train as a nurse and science is taught in nursing school.
• But people are divided on the issue of whether nursing is a STEM discipline, partly because of the many care-giving roles with few or no science connections.

Among health professionals, the biggest “STEM” occupational groups are physiotherapists, general practitioners, occupational therapists, and audiologists and speech pathologists. One study found that 9 out of 10 doctors consider science education valuable to their clinical practice.

Indicative salary: The average salary for a registered nurse is $92,625 per year in Australia, based on 8.4k salaries reported.

4. Engineers: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, etc

Engineering is the fourth biggest category of STEM occupations in Australia. Professional engineers account for an estimated 9.1% of the STEM workforce, a share expected to stay about the same into the future. In the projections, Engineering Professionals are estimated at 219,800 workers in May 2025, rising to 246,200 by May 2030 and 267,300 by May 2035.

You become a fully qualified engineer by completing a 4-year professional degree at an Australian university. The largest disciplines within engineering are Civil, followed by Industrial, Mechanical and Production, Electrical and Mining.

Salary data: The average salary for an engineer is $101,514 per year in Australia, based on 623 salaries reported.

5. Technicians for Architecture, Building and Surveying

STEM skills are in high demand for translating design ideas and plans into actual construction work. Architecture, building and surveying technicians carry out technical functions to help construction site managers, architects and surveyors.

These professionals supervise and inspect construction sites; estimate time, cost and resource requirements; inspect plumbing or electrical work; collect survey data; and prepare maps and plans. In the projections, Architectural, Building and Surveying Technicians are estimated at 84,200 workers in May 2025, rising to 91,200 by May 2030 and 96,100 by May 2035.

Depending on the individual occupation, a university degree may be expected to work as a technician. Generally, though, a vocational education and training (VET) advanced certificate or diploma is the standard qualification.

Pay data: The average salary for a technician is $87,036 per year in Australia, based on 981 salaries reported.

6. Designers, Architects, Planners and Surveyors

The sixth biggest STEM occupational group is often at the intersection of technology and art. Accounting for just over 7% of STEM jobs is a careers category that includes web designers, graphic artists, architects, urban and regional planners, and surveyors and spatial scientists. In the projections, Architects, Designers, Planners and Surveyors are estimated at 161,800 workers in May 2025, rising to 178,400 by May 2030 and 192,800 by May 2035.

A university degree is essential for many of these fields, though less so in the information technology space. Ultimately, career success tends to rely on creative and business talents that are difficult to measure in an academic setting.

Indicative pay: The average salary for a surveyor is $112,677 per year in Australia, based on 386 salaries reported.

7. Scientists, Including Medical and Environmental Science Professionals

STEM starts with “Science” but actual scientists make up only around 6% of the jobs. In the Natural and Physical Science Professionals category, the largest occupational groups are medical laboratory scientists, environmental scientists, geologists and agricultural scientists.

The workforce of scientists is limited in part by the skills and qualifications required. In the projections, Natural and Physical Science Professionals are estimated at 144,400 workers in May 2025, rising to 159,800 by May 2030 and 173,400 by May 2035. A PhD in your scientific field is the norm if you want to have a successful career in research or applied science.

Income: The average salary for a scientist is $91,151 per year in Australia, based on 254 salaries reported.

Other notable STEM career fields

We’ve covered the seven major occupational groups in terms of STEM jobs. Other ones include:

• Specialist Managers in ICT, Engineering and Research and Development (ICT Managers: 89,900 in May 2025 to 112,800 in May 2035; Engineering Managers: 34,800 to 40,300; Research and Development Managers: 19,800 to 24,300)
• ICT Support Technicians (74,800 in May 2025 to 87,800 in May 2035)
• Medical Technicians (41,900 in May 2025 to 49,200 in May 2035)
• Tertiary Education Teachers (100,000 in May 2025 to 119,700 in May 2035).