Software Engineers are not on Australia's 2025 Shortage List

In October 2025, Jobs and Skills Australia released the 2025 Occupation Shortage List, and it rated Software Engineer (261313) as No Shortage nationally.

The short version

• Software Engineer (261313) received a No Shortage (NS) national rating in the 2025 Occupation Shortage List, released October 2025.
• Software Tester (261314) is a separate occupation under the same group. It received a national Shortage (S) rating in the same list.
• Being on a visa list is not the same as being in shortage. Software Engineer is on Australia’s Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and on New Zealand’s Green List (Tier 1, Straight to Residence, effective 26 March 2025). Those list memberships open pathways. The shortage rating is a separate, point-in-time question.
• In 2025, 29% of assessed occupations were in national shortage (293 of 1,022), down from 33% in 2024. Software engineering roles are not in that group.

What it means for you

If you are a Software Engineer looking at Australia: Your occupation is still on the CSOL, which means the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482, Core Skills stream) and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186, Direct Entry) both list it as an eligible occupation. The shortage rating does not remove you from those lists. It is one signal employers and policymakers watch. A migration agent can tell you what it means for your specific situation.

If you are a Software Tester: Software Tester (261314) holds a national Shortage rating in the 2025 list. The two codes sit in the same ANZSCO group but they are different occupations with different titles and different ratings. Check that the title on your CV matches the code you are relying on. If you are not sure which code fits your role, you can browse the software and applications group or paste your CV into the CV matcher to see the closest matches.

Check before you rely on it

The Occupation Shortage List is updated annually. List memberships (CSOL, MLTSSL, NZ Green List) can change outside that cycle. Always confirm the current state on the official source before making decisions.

For advice on what these ratings mean for your visa options, speak with a registered migration agent. For finding or confirming your ANZSCO code, browse occupations or check the Software Engineer occupation page for the current list membership, assessment authority, and labour market data.