Top In-Demand Occupations for the 2025 CSOL under the SID Visa

As Australia reshapes its skilled migration pathways, 2025 marks a pivotal year for professionals seeking to leverage the Skills in Demand (SID) visa under the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). If you’re planning to migrate, choosing an occupation that offers long-term stability, strong remuneration, and a clear route to permanent residency is essential. Aussizz Group, with a history of enabling 180,000+ migration successes, strongly recommends aligning your career path with CSOL’s in-demand occupations.

Below, we explore ten of the hottest occupations likely to offer a competitive edge in 2025. For each, we provide the ANZSCO code, insight into demand trends, typical salary ranges (where publicly available), and commentary on how to build a compelling visa pathway. Throughout, you’ll find responses to common questions (e.g. “Which occupation gives best chance of PR?” or “What salary should I target?”) woven into the narrative.

Why CSOL matters for the SID Visa

Before diving into occupations, a quick primer:

• The CSOL (Core Skills Occupation List) is a consolidated list of 456 occupations that inform eligibility under the Core Skills stream of the SID (Skills in Demand) visa.
• The SID visa replaced the older TSS (Subclass 482) visa from 7 December 2024, aligning skilled migration with labor market needs.
• To qualify under the Core Skills stream, applicants typically need an occupation on CSOL and meet a minimum annual salary threshold (AUD 76,515 as of 2025).

Because CSOL is anchored in labor market evidence, selecting one of its high-demand occupations increases your chances of securing sponsorship, accumulating qualifying work experience, and eventually applying for permanent residency.

How we chose the top in-demand occupations

We prioritized occupations that:

• Appear on CSOL or proposed/mapped into the CSOL framework.
• Show data or stakeholder signals of shortage or strong growth (via OSL, JSA consultations, industry reports).
• Offer medium to high salaries or growth ceilings, making them financially viable for migrants.
• Provide transferrable skills or career progression paths.

Because full 2025 data is still emerging, for some entries we rely on related sector forecasts, past trends, and analogous occupations.

Top In-Demand Jobs (2025) for CSOL / SID Visa Pathways

Note: “Demand Signals / Openings” and “Salary Ranges” are indicative based on public sources and industry forecasts as of mid-2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Which occupation gives me the best chance of Permanent Residency (PR)?
  While there’s no guaranteed “fastest” path, selecting an occupation on CSOL with sustained shortage, good salary, and clear alignment with employer demand increases your odds. For example, tech roles, healthcare professionals, and infrastructure engineers often offer strong employer sponsorship and visa continuity. Use OccuSearch (our migration-oriented app) to track EOI stats, state nomination trends, and whether your particular ANZSCO code is seeing high approval rates.
• How much salary should I aim for to be eligible or competitive?
  For the Core Skills stream, as of 2025, the benchmark is AUD 76,515 annually. But having a salary well above that gives you leverage in negotiations and strengthens your case. For example, many software engineers or senior managers easily command salaries between AUD 100,000–150,000+, meaning your employer is more likely to agree to sponsorship.
• What if my occupation is not in the top in-demand occupations? Is it hopeless?
  Not at all. The CSOL includes 456 occupations. Many roles beyond our highlighted top in-demand occupations still qualify. But migrating under a less tightly contested or oversupplied occupation might require stronger supporting evidence, niche specialization, or state nomination. To check whether your job is on CSOL and assess where it’s trending, OccuSearch can provide real-time updates, ANZSCO mapping, and “risk of removal” flags.
• What about English / language test requirements?
  English (often at least IELTS, PTE or equivalent) remains a core requirement for many visa streams. If your English scores need improvement, PTE Tutorials is a useful platform to train and boost your score. Strong PTE/IELTS results not only satisfy visa requirements, but also add confidence in your profile for overseas employers.