Civilian Labour Market Resources for Defence to Civilian Transition

Important Sources of Information

When leaving the Australian Defence Force it’s important you undertake effective career research and planning into the civilian world of work to ensure your career goals are made effectively. To do this it’s important to take into consideration available labour market information. This information can be helpful for:

• reviewing the prospects, current & future and wages for a particular industry or occupation
• assessing employment prospects for a particular location if you are considering relocating  
• assessing potential study options through looking at university or vocational education outcomes data
• identifying potential areas of opportunity through skill shortage information

There are a large number of sources of information available for use when making these decisions. The following links outline some of these:

• Graduate Careers Australia – data on university graduate outcomes
• National Centre for Vocational Education Research – information about vocational education and training prospects
• Job Outlook – data on 350 occupations including wages information and prospects
• Office of Economic & Statistical Research  – employment data by industry
• Small Area Labour Market Information –  unemployment rates for approximately 1400 Statistical Local Areas across Australia
• Industry Skills Council – Australia’s 11 different industry skills councils
• Department of Industry – Information on Industry Skills Councils (ISCs), Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency and Australian Government programs
• Fair Work Australia – pay and entitlement information
• myFuture: Wvideos on existing and emerging occupations
• Australian Jobs 2016 publication employment and jobs information by location, industry, occupation and skill level

Informal sources of labour market information on locations, industry and occupations can also be helpful and found through speaking with experts in the industry. This includes professional career practitioners, experienced recruiters, industry groups, and professional associations, the newspaper and media.

It’s important, with any information, that you assess the reliability and value of the data by investigating where and when the information was sourced from, and who is providing that information. It’s also important to understand that while understanding the labour market is important, labour market data can change quickly and sometimes be unreliable.

Undertaking a thorough assessment of labour market information can be tough so talking with a Career Development professional after you leave the Australian Defence Force can be highly helpful in understanding and navigating this complex but important area.