Australia’s transition to net zero by 2050 is at risk without urgent action to address workforce shortages across infrastructure sectors, a new report warns.
Infrastructure Australia’s Delivering Net Zero Infrastructure: Workforce Report outlines a national game plan to identify, upskill and grow the “Infrastructure Net Zero Workforce” – a group of 130,000 workers currently engaged in activities that reduce infrastructure-related emissions.
Infrastructure and buildings account for nearly one-third of Australia’s total emissions and influence over half of all indirect emissions.
The report emphasises the sector’s dual role: as a major emitter and as a critical enabler of economy-wide decarbonisation.
“While this includes a little over half of the workforce currently engaged in the delivery of the nation’s major public infrastructure pipeline, more can be done to engage the rest,” says Infrastructure Australia CEO Adam Copp.
“This report was developed to set out a plan that brings governments and industry bodies together to strengthen this workforce so it can tackle the huge task of decarbonising the nation’s infrastructure pipeline.”
The report classifies the Net Zero Infrastructure workforce across 36 occupations, ranging from engineers and construction managers to economists and environmental scientists.
Workers were grouped into five cohorts based on their impact on emissions reduction and the challenges they face.
High-impact roles – such as engineers, architects, and policy professionals – make up two-thirds of the Net Zero workforce but require targeted upskilling, especially in carbon modelling, procurement, and emissions forecasting.
More than 90 per cent of professional roles in the sector are already contributing to emissions reduction. However, consistent training remains a gap. The report recommends developing a nationally standardised “Carbon Management Fundamentals” program and calls for a unified national skills catalogue to align education and workforce needs.
“The race to net zero infrastructure is also a race for skills,” said Jonathan Cartledge, Chair of the Infrastructure Net Zero initiative and CEO of Consult Australia.
“For the first time we have a clear picture of the workforce it will take.”
The report identifies four immediate priorities: national coordination of workforce supply, consistent training pathways, mapping of skills transfer across sectors, and tracking workforce capability over time.
According to Infrastructure Australia, the Net Zero Infrastructure workforce must grow to 200,000 by 2030 to keep pace with the demands of decarbonisation.
Without stronger coordination across governments, industry, and education providers, Australia risks missing critical emissions targets.