As the peak industry body representing over 620 surveying firms and nearly 5,000 individual professionals, Surveyors Australia has issued a stark warning regarding the structural and persistent skills shortages impacting the nation (Surveyors Australia, 2026).
Surveyors are a critically enabling workforce; without them, major public infrastructure, residential housing developments, and renewable energy transitions cannot commence (Surveyors Australia, 2026).
Australia is currently facing an unprecedented $1.14 trillion infrastructure pipeline mapped out over the next five years (Surveyors Australia, 2026). To meet this escalating demand, the sector requires a minimum influx of 1,500 new professionals annually just to meet baseline requirements (Surveyors Australia, 2026).
Compounding this domestic pipeline constraint is an entirely stalled skilled migration pathway (Surveyors Australia, 2026). Following the liquidation of the Geospatial Council of Australia (GCA) on 21 August 2025, the Institution of Surveyors New South Wales (ISNSW) was approved as the new assessing authority (Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, 2025).
Because the ISNSW has not yet been formalised through a legislative instrument under the Migration Regulations 1994, they cannot legally process any skills assessments (Surveyors Australia, 2026). This administrative roadblock has left the sector with no immediate relief valve, placing immense pressure on the domestic market (Surveyors Australia, 2026).
Surveyors Australia (2026) has identified severe workforce deficits across seven key roles essential to the Australian economy:
The sector is losing decades of complex statutory and cadastral experience as senior professionals retire, leaving 86.1% of surveying firms experiencing severe difficulty filling licensed surveyor vacancies (Surveyors Australia, 2025).
A severe lack of construction surveyors directly threatens the delivery timelines of state-level "Big Build" infrastructure projects, such as Queensland's $8 billion Cross River Rail and $3.5 billion Coomera Connector (Queensland Audit Office, 2025).
Statutory licensing barriers and an aging demographic have led to a steady decline in licensed professionals, severely restricting cadastral capabilities across jurisdictions like Queensland and the Northern Territory (Surveyors Board of Queensland, 2021; The Surveyors Board of the Northern Territory of Australia, 2023).
A recovery in resource sector investment has resulted in high vacancy rates, creating intense competition and a horizontal draw on the broader surveying workforce (BIS Oxford Economics, 2023).
Rapid digital transformation requires expertise in GIS, 3D laser scanning, and LiDAR, yet the domestic educational pipeline has not evolved rapidly enough to produce graduates with these competencies (Connection Point Consulting, 2022).
The shortfall of foundational technicians is currently unrecognised by a distinct skilled occupation list option, an issue severely exacerbated by the halt in skilled migration (Surveyors Australia, 2026).
The erosion of Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathways has disrupted the supply of entry-level assistants, forcing highly skilled registered surveyors to undertake manual work and diminishing operational productivity (Surveyors Australia, 2025).
The inability to source necessary surveying professionals fundamentally threatens major government infrastructure and housing targets across Australia (Surveyors Australia, 2026). It is a strategic necessity that these roles remain prioritised on the JSA Occupation Shortage List and the Core Skills Occupation List to secure the skilled workforce required to build the nation's future (Surveyors Australia, 2026).
BIS Oxford Economics. (2023). Determining the future demand, supply and skills gap for surveying and geospatial professionals: 2022-2032. Consulting Surveyors National.
Connection Point Consulting. (2022). The Australian surveying & spatial workforce: A national roadmap. The Surveyors' Trust.
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. (2025). New assessing authority appointed for Surveyor occupation (ANZSCO 232212). Australian Government. https://www.dewr.gov.au/assessing-authority-policy-and-assurance/announcements/new-assessing-authority-appointed-surveyor-occupation-anzsco-232212
Queensland Audit Office. (2025). Major projects 2025. Queensland Government. https://www.qao.qld.gov.au/reports-resources/reports-parliament/major-projects-2025
Surveyors Australia. (2025). National workforce strategic assessment: The structural and persistent shortage of surveying and spatial science professionals in Australia (2025-2026).
Surveyors Australia. (2026). Jobs and Skills Australia's occupation shortage list submission.
Surveyors Board of Queensland. (2021). Annual report 2020-2021. Queensland Government.
The Surveyors Board of the Northern Territory of Australia. (2023). Annual report 2022-2023. Northern Territory Government. https://surveyorsboard.nt.gov.au/documents/reports/annualrpts/surveyors-board-annual-report-2022-2023.pdf
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