Occupation Ceiling Updates Released for Financial Year

SkillSelect has published the updated occupation ceiling figures for the 2025-2026 financial year, revealing significant increases in available places for several in-demand occupations including nursing, software engineering, and accounting.

Registered nurses see the most substantial increase, with the occupation ceiling raised by 35% compared to the previous year. This reflects the ongoing critical shortage of nursing professionals across Australian healthcare facilities and aged care centers.

Software engineers and ICT professionals also benefit from expanded ceilings, with increases ranging from 25-30% across various technology specializations. The growing demand for digital transformation and cybersecurity expertise has driven these increases.

Accounting professionals, despite having faced reduced ceilings in recent years, have seen a modest increase of 15% as the profession remains on the skilled occupation list. This increase acknowledges the ongoing need for financial professionals in the Australian business environment.

The occupation ceilings represent the maximum number of invitations that can be issued for each occupation during the financial year. However, actual invitation numbers depend on the points scores and the number of applications submitted through SkillSelect.

Migration experts are advising applicants to monitor monthly invitation rounds closely, as higher occupation ceilings generally correlate with more frequent invitations and lower minimum points requirements for these occupations.