Infrastructure Skills Employers Are Prioritising in 2026

Australia’s infrastructure pipeline has never been larger, and the workforce to deliver it has never been tighter. Infrastructure Australia’s 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report puts the five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline at a record $242 billion, with the industry already short 141,000 workers. In that environment, three capabilities keep rising to the top of employer priorities: project controls, digital tools, and cross-disciplinary capability. 

Which infrastructure skills are Australian employers prioritising in 2026? 

Australian infrastructure employers are prioritising project controls, digital delivery skills and cross-disciplinary capability in 2026. With budgets and timelines under pressure, the most valued professionals are those who can forecast cost and schedule accurately, work confidently with digital tools, and move between sectors as the pipeline shifts. 

The priority skills in detail: 

• Project controls: planners, schedulers, cost engineers, estimators and commercial managers who keep projects on budget and on time. Infrastructure Australia found 63 per cent of firms cite labour cost as a substantial threat to delivery, making the people who control cost and schedule risk some of the most contested hires in the market. Demand for project management professionals is projected to peak at around 59,000 in mid-2027. 

• Digital tools: capability in BIM and digital engineering, common data environments, project management platforms, and data analysis. The report notes the sector faces a dual challenge of filling roles in short supply while upskilling for the digital and net zero transition. Employers now screen for digital fluency in roles where it was once optional. 

• Cross-disciplinary capability: professionals who can transfer between transport, energy, water and social infrastructure. With engineering demand stretched across new growth sectors, employers increasingly value adjacent-sector experience and the ability to apply core skills to unfamiliar asset classes. 

Why is the infrastructure skills shortage getting worse? 

The shortage is worsening because demand is growing faster than supply, and the roles in shortest supply take years to develop. Infrastructure Australia projects the current shortfall of 141,000 workers will surge to more than 300,000 by mid-2027, driven largely by privately funded renewable energy projects entering the pipeline. 

Several forces are compounding the gap. Shortages for engineers, architects and scientists are forecast to peak at approximately 126,000 in late 2026, while shortages for trades workers and labourers peak at a similar level by mid-2027. Regional areas are hit hardest, with shortages forecast to quadruple between 2025 and 2027 as energy and transport projects compete for the same labour pools. Uncertainty in the energy pipeline is also prompting many firms to take a wait-and-see approach to training, relying on redeploying workers from adjacent sectors rather than growing baseline supply. 

How can employers compete for scarce engineering and trades talent? 

Employers compete for scarce talent by hiring for transferable capability, investing in upskilling, and moving faster than the market. In a shortage, the winners broaden the candidate pool, shorten their hiring process, and give people a reason to stay. 

Practical strategies that work: 

• Hire for core capability and train the sector-specific knowledge. A cost engineer from mining or defence can succeed on a transport project. 

• Invest in structured upskilling. Infrastructure Australia found 66 per cent of the sector invested in workforce upskilling in the past 12 months, rising to 85 per cent among engineers and designers. 

• Build digital skills internally, pairing experienced delivery staff with digitally fluent recruits. 

• Shorten time to offer. Scarce candidates are usually holding multiple offers within weeks. 

• Offer visible career pathways across projects, so people join for a career rather than a single build. 

What does the skills gap mean for project timelines? 

The skills gap means projects will cost more, take longer, or both, unless workforce planning is treated as a delivery risk. Infrastructure Australia identifies labour as the most critical delivery risk facing the sector, with 59 per cent of firms citing labour and skills shortages as a substantial threat to delivery. 

For employers, the practical implication is that resourcing needs to be planned alongside scope and budget, not after contract award. Projects that secure project controls and digital delivery capability early gain a compounding advantage: better forecasting reduces rework and variation, which reduces peak labour demand later in the build. 

Frequently asked questions 

What are project controls in infrastructure?  

Project controls are the planning, scheduling, cost engineering, estimating and reporting functions that keep infrastructure projects on budget and on schedule. Demand for these professionals is projected to peak at around 59,000 in mid-2027. 

Which digital skills do infrastructure employers want?  

Employers are prioritising BIM and digital engineering, common data environments, project management platforms, and data analysis and reporting skills across both professional and site-based roles. 

How large is Australia’s infrastructure workforce shortage?  

Infrastructure Australia estimates the industry is currently short 141,000 workers, with the shortfall projected to exceed 300,000 by mid-2027. 

Ready to build your infrastructure hiring plan? 

Delivering in this market takes more than advertising vacancies. It takes a clear view of which capabilities carry the most delivery risk, where transferable talent sits in adjacent sectors, and how to move quickly when the right person becomes available. At Fuse Recruitment, we partner with infrastructure employers to secure project controls, engineering, digital and site-based talent across Australia. If you are planning your resourcing for the year ahead, get in touch to build a hiring plan that protects your delivery timeline.