Federal election 2025

Australia relies on engineers to:

• Deliver critical infrastructure needed for liveable cities and thriving regions.
• Develop the diagnostic tools and innovative medical devices which help save lives.
• Support the energy transition to net zero.
• Pursue advanced manufacturing critical for industry growth and sovereign capability.
• Drive the digital and automation revolutions in AI and robotics to boost productivity.

In the lead up to the 2025 election, Engineers Australia is asking all candidates to support the need for a skilled workforce with a strong engineering capability to enhance the nation’s prosperity. 

Engineering contributes substantially to our GDP, improves productivity, drives innovation and creates jobs. The risk of not investing in engineering capacity, in an era with rapid technological change, threatens Australia’s ability to advance as a society.

If you want to help ensure our nation’s future is guided by the right skills and expertise:

Contact your division for a toolkit on engaging with election candidates. 

The facts

• Australia ranks 84^th globally when it comes to university graduates in science and engineering.
• We are recruiting more engineers from overseas than we are training domestically. More than 60 per cent of Australia's qualified engineers were born overseas and many more with overseas qualifications are currently working in unrelated industries within Australia.
• Up to 70,000 engineers are expected to retire over the next 15 years.
• Senior engineering roles in government have decreased over the past 20 years. Around 45 per cent of all engineering work is completed for the public sector, yet the government only executes 15 per cent of this work internally.
• Engineering has a strong multiplier effect, where employment within the field or in engineering-adjacent professions creates both direct and indirect jobs. For example, every $1 million invested in infrastructure returns $3 million to the economy.