Looking for job security? Here are 67 occupations tipped to have strong demand in the future
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If you're thinking of a career change in the new year or you're a youngster trying to figure out a career path, you might want to peruse the National Skills Priority list. 
It details the occupations with vacancies employers are struggling to fill right now.
There are 286 occupations on last year's National Skills Priority list.
However, if you drill into the data, there are 67 occupations experiencing shortages right now as well as being classed as having a "strong" demand in the future. 
The bulk of them are in IT, nursing and mining. 
Below, we break down the general duties, educational requirements and average salaries for each occupation.
Rosie Nelson — who runs a career coaching business called Careers By Design — says some students are "definitely thinking about future demand and potential growth" when picking careers, but "earning potential is still a top priority".
"I still think the most-important factor for anyone considering a future occupation is to follow their interests," she says. 
"Really think about when they are happiest, when they lose track of time and feel energised. What are they doing in those moments and what is most important to them moving forward?"
Mita Das — who runs a careers guidance business called Sense of Direction — sees a lot of clients who have done well in their careers but need a change. 
She advises against only considering job market trends when picking a career path, warning that going with "the so-called sensible choice" can land people in jobs they hate.
Ms Das says people should consider their values, what they're good at and what they actually enjoy before landing on a career. 
"It does depend on what is meaningful for you," she says.
"If COVID taught us anything, it's that disruption is going to happen … skill shortages this year could be completely different in five years' time."
However, she says, it's not all "rainbows and unicorns". 
"You have to be a realist about 'How much do I need?' and 'How can I do what's meaningful to me?'
"Choose what's right for you and, if you can align that with what the market needs, then that's the sweet spot."
They range across a span of industries, but we've grouped them into 15 categories. 
Most of the data comes from Labour Market Insights, a federal government website created under the National Skills Commission that compiles information about the Australian job market.
The new government has established a statutory body called Jobs and Skills Australia to replace the National Skills Commission, however, the Labor Markets website will remain online. 
Details on the site are as they are listed by Labour Market Insights and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, so they are generalised.
Keep this in mind when trawling through job ads, because individual job listings may differ from employer to employer. 
Tap on the cards to see what jobs are on the list and get a sense of how much you could earn and what kind of training you need to get there. 
Ms Nelson says there's lot of diversity in the kinds of work you can do in the IT sector. 
"They all sort of get lumped in together, but they're quite different," she says. 
"There's some design focus, there's some testing looking for weaknesses in the systems. 
"I think we need to better colour the picture of that industry and show people the differences and the possibilities."
"I'm often talking to people about nursing, caring, teaching careers that interest them but they say the pay and conditions put them off," Ms Nelson says. 
"These professions have a community reputation for burning people out and not rewarding them highly enough.
"I am not sure what the answer is but there are some good things happening [such as] subsidised training, stronger connections between unis/TAFEs and industry and better salaries surely help make these pathways more attractive."
"Nursing is popular, I think, despite the constant negative PR it receives but [it is] gendered still," Ms Nelson says. 
"The pathways from diploma courses into nursing degrees is generating a new pipeline of diverse students and is very positive, I think, as these students can begin working and getting experiences as enrolled nurses before they become registered, if they choose."
Healthcare workers are mostly required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
The National Skills Priority List names 13 registered nurse specialisations with labour shortages:
"I see a lot of international students and new migrants with digital experience and expertise and career aspirations in IT," Ms Nelson says. 
"[I] question if the Australian education system is doing enough to inspire and develop homegrown talent."
Details are as listed by Labour Market Insights and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with some minor amendments. 
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