# Rising and falling occupations, September 2026

Plain-text twin of https://immitrend.com.au/data/movers for AI assistants and citation. Invitation figures are the official subclass 189 round totals, split by occupation using each round's published cut-offs (estimates); pool figures are submitted (waiting) Expressions of Interest from the official SkillSelect EOI data dashboard, September 2026 extract.

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).

## Rising: estimated subclass 189 invitations, FY2025-26 vs FY2024-25

| ANZSCO | Occupation | FY2024-25 | FY2025-26 | Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 254499 | Registered Nurses nec | 1,660 | 4,392 | +2,732 |
| 331212 | Carpenter | 696 | 2,484 | +1,788 |
| 254412 | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 266 | 1,003 | +737 |
| 271311 | Solicitor | 127 | 845 | +718 |
| 241411 | Secondary School Teacher | 518 | 1,171 | +653 |
| 253111 | General Practitioner | 425 | 1,068 | +643 |
| 272511 | Social Worker | 488 | 1,059 | +571 |
| 253999 | Medical Practitioners nec | 318 | 807 | +489 |
| 224711 | Management Consultant | 90 | 505 | +415 |
| 341111 | Electrician (General) | 127 | 437 | +310 |
| 234312 | Environmental Consultant | 47 | 352 | +305 |
| 224113 | Statistician | 65 | 352 | +287 |
| 233111 | Chemical Engineer | 135 | 407 | +272 |
| 234711 | Veterinarian | 29 | 281 | +252 |
| 234111 | Agricultural Consultant | 24 | 271 | +247 |
| 333411 | Wall and Floor Tiler | 111 | 348 | +237 |
| 254415 | Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) | 324 | 547 | +223 |
| 252511 | Physiotherapist | 388 | 608 | +220 |
| 331111 | Bricklayer | 82 | 289 | +207 |
| 254418 | Registered Nurse (Medical) | 295 | 495 | +200 |

## Falling: estimated subclass 189 invitations, FY2025-26 vs FY2024-25

| ANZSCO | Occupation | FY2024-25 | FY2025-26 | Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 312211 | Civil Engineering Draftsperson | 1,536 | 177 | −1,359 |
| 241111 | Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher | 1,891 | 839 | −1,052 |
| 221111 | Accountant (General) | 678 | 0 | −678 |
| 233213 | Quantity Surveyor | 671 | 0 | −671 |
| 232111 | Architect | 876 | 220 | −656 |
| 233512 | Mechanical Engineer | 656 | 0 | −656 |
| 233211 | Civil Engineer | 641 | 0 | −641 |
| 221213 | External Auditor | 484 | 0 | −484 |
| 261313 | Software Engineer | 450 | 0 | −450 |
| 261111 | ICT Business Analyst | 427 | 0 | −427 |
| 261311 | Analyst Programmer | 404 | 0 | −404 |
| 233914 | Engineering Technologist | 402 | 0 | −402 |
| 261312 | Developer Programmer | 305 | 0 | −305 |
| 233214 | Structural Engineer | 296 | 0 | −296 |
| 312212 | Civil Engineering Technician | 364 | 72 | −292 |
| 233311 | Electrical Engineer | 278 | 0 | −278 |
| 262112 | ICT Security Specialist | 276 | 0 | −276 |
| 133111 | Construction Project Manager | 844 | 576 | −268 |
| 263111 | Computer Network and Systems Engineer | 258 | 0 | −258 |
| 221113 | Taxation Accountant | 257 | 0 | −257 |

## Rising: submitted EOIs, March 2026 to September 2026 (All subclasses)

| ANZSCO | Occupation | March 2026 | September 2026 | Change | % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 241111 | Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher | 31,021 | 39,828 | +8,807 | +28 |
| 241411 | Secondary School Teacher | 8,902 | 12,945 | +4,043 | +45 |
| 261311 | Analyst Programmer | 20,812 | 23,299 | +2,487 | +12 |
| 254418 | Registered Nurse (Medical) | 9,660 | 11,273 | +1,613 | +17 |
| 254412 | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 4,458 | 6,061 | +1,603 | +36 |
| 254499 | Registered Nurses nec | 20,780 | 22,332 | +1,552 | +7 |
| 331212 | Carpenter | 4,990 | 6,443 | +1,453 | +29 |
| 312212 | Civil Engineering Technician | 14,481 | 15,888 | +1,407 | +10 |
| 261399 | Software and Applications Programmers nec | 16,995 | 18,391 | +1,396 | +8 |
| 254415 | Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) | 11,444 | 12,757 | +1,313 | +11 |

## Falling: submitted EOIs, March 2026 to September 2026 (All subclasses)

| ANZSCO | Occupation | March 2026 | September 2026 | Change | % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 261313 | Software Engineer | 59,305 | 52,862 | −6,443 | −11 |
| 221111 | Accountant (General) | 31,717 | 26,242 | −5,475 | −17 |
| 233512 | Mechanical Engineer | 45,127 | 39,752 | −5,375 | −12 |
| 233211 | Civil Engineer | 46,599 | 41,292 | −5,307 | −11 |
| 351311 | Chef | 43,513 | 38,208 | −5,305 | −12 |
| 251513 | Retail Pharmacist | 25,855 | 21,118 | −4,737 | −18 |
| 261111 | ICT Business Analyst | 34,817 | 31,587 | −3,230 | −9 |
| 263111 | Computer Network and Systems Engineer | 18,326 | 15,204 | −3,122 | −17 |
| 233311 | Electrical Engineer | 25,400 | 22,280 | −3,120 | −12 |
| 312211 | Civil Engineering Draftsperson | 29,009 | 26,028 | −2,981 | −10 |

## Rising: submitted EOIs, March 2026 to September 2026 (189)

| ANZSCO | Occupation | March 2026 | September 2026 | Change | % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 241111 | Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher | 10,476 | 13,478 | +3,002 | +29 |
| 241411 | Secondary School Teacher | 2,187 | 2,906 | +719 | +33 |
| 254412 | Registered Nurse (Aged Care) | 1,476 | 2,051 | +575 | +39 |
| 261311 | Analyst Programmer | 5,120 | 5,658 | +538 | +11 |
| 312212 | Civil Engineering Technician | 1,833 | 2,343 | +510 | +28 |
| 331212 | Carpenter | 989 | 1,466 | +477 | +48 |
| 332211 | Painting Trades Worker | 1,045 | 1,498 | +453 | +43 |
| 272511 | Social Worker | 1,282 | 1,582 | +300 | +23 |
| 133111 | Construction Project Manager | 2,240 | 2,491 | +251 | +11 |
| 254418 | Registered Nurse (Medical) | 1,452 | 1,697 | +245 | +17 |

## Falling: submitted EOIs, March 2026 to September 2026 (189)

| ANZSCO | Occupation | March 2026 | September 2026 | Change | % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 221111 | Accountant (General) | 8,252 | 7,093 | −1,159 | −14 |
| 351311 | Chef | 11,814 | 10,856 | −958 | −8 |
| 261313 | Software Engineer | 10,224 | 9,596 | −628 | −6 |
| 221213 | External Auditor | 4,012 | 3,431 | −581 | −14 |
| 233512 | Mechanical Engineer | 8,108 | 7,560 | −548 | −7 |
| 263111 | Computer Network and Systems Engineer | 4,220 | 3,688 | −532 | −13 |
| 233211 | Civil Engineer | 9,301 | 8,777 | −524 | −6 |
| 321211 | Motor Mechanic (General) | 3,353 | 2,873 | −480 | −14 |
| 261111 | ICT Business Analyst | 8,282 | 7,875 | −407 | −5 |
| 221112 | Management Accountant | 1,968 | 1,694 | −274 | −14 |

## Notes

- Invitation counts by occupation are estimates reconstructed from each round's published cut-offs; the program total per round is official.

## 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.

Source: SkillSelect EOI data dashboard, Department of Home Affairs (September 2026 extract). Analysis by ImmiTrend, CC BY 4.0: quote freely with attribution to ImmiTrend and a link to https://immitrend.com.au/data/movers.