Aust faces shortage of engineers, IT, managers: survey

The Clarius Skills Index, which measures supply and demand for skilled jobs across the country, reveals a moderate labour market with an additional 5000 people added to an oversupply of job seekers in the March quarter alone.

There are now 15,000 skilled workers looking for a job, compared with 10,000 in the previous quarter, according to the skills index released on Monday.

Engineering professionals are the most in demand, with a nationwide shortage of 7000 workers.

This compares with an oversupply of 25,900 accounting clerks, receptionists, assistants and secretaries.

The skills index, prepared by KPMG Econtech, now sits at 99.4, down from what is considered to be a balanced result of 99.6 in the past December quarter.

"The general consensus is also that the recent federal budget did very little to stimulate job hiring decisions across most industries," the skills report said.

A two-speed economy remains in place, with Western Australia's labour market significantly contrasting with the rest of the country.

"The outlook for occupations within and related to the mining sector continues to remain strong at the expense of occupations in other industries such as manufacturing, retail and tourism," the report said.

The survey found that employers might become more reluctant to hire staff, especially in clerical and administrative roles.

The labour market in Victoria is expected to face further pressures with manufacturing hit hard and more than 4000 public servants losing their jobs through recently announced state budget cuts.

In NSW, the skills survey found that the state is "quarantined" to a degree from the impact of the mining boom as jobs come from a broad spectrum of industry.