Rising & falling occupations

Which occupations gained and lost the most: estimated subclass 189 invitations, financial year on financial year, or waiting EOIs over the last 6 months.

In FY2025-26, 26,887 subclass 189 invitations were issued (official round totals), against 22,973 in FY2024-25 (+3,914, +17%). Split by occupation from each round's published cut-offs, 134 occupations gained invitations year on year and 57 lost.

The biggest rise was Registered Nurses nec, from 1,660 to 4,392 (+2,732); the biggest fall was Civil Engineering Draftsperson, from 1,536 to 177 (−1,359).

In the SkillSelect pool, submitted EOIs across all subclasses moved from 1,107,057 in March 2026 to 1,050,796 in September 2026 (−56,261 over 6 months); 173 occupations grew and 297 shrank, led by Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher (+8,807).

Measure

189 invitations, FY2025-26

Estimated

26,887

vs FY2024-25: +3,914 (+17%)

Rising

Estimated

134

134 occupations gained

Falling

Estimated

57

57 occupations lost

Rising & Falling Occupations

View invitation trends →
FY2025-26: 26,887 invitationsvsFY2024-25: 22,973+3,914 (+17%)program-wide — an occupation needs +17% just to hold its ground.
RisingEST.134 rising in total

Biggest increase in estimated invitations, FY2025-26 vs FY2024-25.

24-25 → 25-26CHANGE
1Registered Nurses nec1,660 → 4,392+2,7322Carpenter696 → 2,484+1,7883Registered Nurse (Aged Care)266 → 1,003+7374Solicitor127 → 845+7185Secondary School Teacher518 → 1,171+6536General Practitioner425 → 1,068+6437Social Worker488 → 1,059+5718Medical Practitioners nec318 → 807+4899Management Consultant90 → 505+41510Electrician (General)127 → 437+310
FallingEST.57 falling in total

Biggest decrease in estimated invitations, FY2025-26 vs FY2024-25.

24-25 → 25-26CHANGE
1Civil Engineering DraftspersonNOT INV.1,536 → 177−1,3592Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) TeacherNOT INV.1,891 → 839−1,0523Accountant (General)0 THIS FY678 → 0−6784Quantity Surveyor0 THIS FY671 → 0−6715Architect876 → 220−6566Mechanical Engineer0 THIS FY656 → 0−6567Civil Engineer0 THIS FY641 → 0−6418External Auditor0 THIS FY484 → 0−4849Software Engineer0 THIS FY450 → 0−45010ICT Business Analyst0 THIS FY427 → 0−427

Estimates. Home Affairs publishes each round's total and each occupation's points cut-off, not per-occupation invite counts — so a 0 means no recorded invitations in our estimates for that year.

Last updated 30 September 2026Sources:OfficialEstimated

Community-reported and estimated figures are indicative and may be incomplete — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee. Official figures come from Home Affairs / SkillSelect.

General information only — not migration advice.

Compiled by ImmiTrend from official SkillSelect data.

Frequently asked questions

Which occupations are rising fastest in subclass 189 invitations?
Comparing FY2025-26 with FY2024-25, the biggest increases in estimated subclass 189 invitations were Registered Nurses nec (1,660 → 4,392), Carpenter (696 → 2,484) and Registered Nurse (Aged Care) (266 → 1,003). In total 134 occupations gained year on year. Estimates come from the per-occupation cut-offs each round publishes, so they are indicative.
Which occupations are getting fewer subclass 189 invitations?
Comparing FY2025-26 with FY2024-25, the biggest decreases in estimated subclass 189 invitations were Civil Engineering Draftsperson (1,536 → 177), Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher (1,891 → 839) and Accountant (General) (678 → 0). In total 57 occupations lost year on year; an occupation shown at zero was not invited at all in FY2025-26.
Were subclass 189 invitations up or down in FY2025-26?
Up: 26,887 subclass 189 invitations in FY2025-26 against 22,973 in FY2024-25, a change of +3,914 (+17%), from the official round totals. Program-wide growth means an occupation needed a rise of about that size just to hold its share.
Which occupations have the fastest-growing EOI pool over 6 months?
Between March 2026 and September 2026, the occupations whose submitted EOIs grew the most across all subclasses were Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher (+8,807), Secondary School Teacher (+4,043) and Analyst Programmer (+2,487). The whole pool moved from 1,107,057 to 1,050,796 (−56,261), with 173 occupations growing and 297 shrinking.