Employment hot spots for 2018. A new year, a new career, a new you?

Melissa Jenkins
(Australian Associated Press)

Many employees returning from summer holidays may be pondering a career change in the face of sluggish average wage growth.

So what industries are predicted to be most in demand?

National recruitment company Hays predicts data security and technology, human resources, social assistance, aged care and construction will be among the job hot spots in 2018.

Tim James, Hays managing director for Victoria, Tasmania and ACT, says data security and IT jobs will boom as technology continues its rapid growth.

"Numerous industries are spending a significant amount of money and investing in improving their products and their services and efficiency," he said.

Sectors such as finance and banking, mining and professional services are investing in new technologies, with expertise required in cyber security and innovation.

"That is definitely a big area that we are seeing skill shortages in," Mr James said.

As companies introduce new innovations in technology, jobs for human resources professionals will increase to ensure the changes are properly integrated into organisations.

"With all change it's really important that it gets embedded into the organisation, so there definitely is a big emphasis on HR professionals being able to support any change," Mr James said.

As the National Disability Insurance Scheme continues to be rolled out across Australia, jobs in the sector will grow to provide support to an estimated 475,000 people with a disability.

There is also growing demand for aged care employees as baby boomers age, including clerical jobs, personal care attendants, registered nurses and facility managers.

Psychology is another area tipped for healthy jobs growth as people become more attuned to looking after their mental health.

Mr James said large public infrastructure projects such as multi-billion dollar metro rail tunnel projects in Melbourne and Sydney will boost the construction sector over the next eight to ten years.

The most recent federal Department of Employment industry projections pinpoint health and social assistance as being the main area of job creation in the labour market since the 1990s, and that trend is expected to continue.

Health and social assistance, professional scientific and technical services, construction and education and training are forecast to provide more than 60 per cent of total jobs growth between 2017 and 2022.

Employment in health and social assistance is forecast to rise by more than 250,500 jobs, or 16.1 per cent, while jobs in professional, scientific and technical services are tipped to increase by 126,400, or 12.5 per cent.

The computer system design and related services sector is projected to swell by 54,200, or by almost one quarter, after having grown by nearly 84 per cent over the past decade.

Construction industry jobs are predicted to grow by 120,700, or 10.9 per cent, while employment in education and training is expected to increase by 116,200, or 12 per cent.

There are expected to be fewer jobs in manufacturing; electricity, gas water and waste services; and agriculture, forestry and fishing.