Emerging occupations are defined as new, frequently advertised jobs which are substantially different to occupations already defined in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). The National Skills Commission has identified and validated 25 emerging occupations within seven categories in the Australian labour market.

Emerging occupations arise as we adapt to new challenges and opportunities over time. Previously, new skills have been adapted more gradually. Recently, the need to adapt and learn new skills has arisen quite quickly in response to COVID-19. Manufacturers have learnt new techniques to make unfamiliar and in-demand products, and restaurant owners have quickly developed or enhanced their skills in e-commerce.

There are some instances where the skills required for certain jobs can change without changing the occupation fundamentally. For example, advances in the way we store and organise information mean we can more easily access a wider range of knowledge than in previous decades. As a result, librarians spend less time dealing with the physical management and transport of information, and more time assisting people to understand how to access, understand and use that information.

In the case of statisticians, however, emerging skills have changed the nature of some traditional statistician roles enough that the new occupations of Data Scientists and Data Analysts have emerged. You can learn more about how we defined and identified our emerging occupations, as well as see the profiles for all 25 emerging occupations on the NSC website (nationalskillscommission.gov.au/publications/emerging-occupations).