Earlier this year, Australia’s three industry buying groups – Nationwide Jewellers, Showcase Jewellers, and the Independent Jewellers Collective – announced a plan to join forces for the betterment of the trade.
The problem is straightforward. Over the past two decades, demand for custom-made jewellery and services, such as repairs, has steadily increased. With an ageing workforce, a shortage of skilled workers, and an inadequate volume of jewellery apprentices entering the trade each year, the industry is increasingly struggling to meet demand.
As is so often the case, merely identifying the problem is easier than addressing it. An actionable objective was determined: Ensure that ‘jewellers’ are recorded on the Occupational Shortage List (OSL).
The OSL is a program organised by Jobs and Skills Australia, a statutory body that provides independent advice on future workforce, skills and training needs. In other words, the OSL is a publicly available tool that informs policymakers about the Australian economy's skills needs.
The platform listed two relevant occupations – Jewellery Designers and Jewellers – which were rated as ‘No Shortage’ from 2021 to 2024.
It was described as a technical omission that carried serious consequences for the Australian jewellery industry. Without that recognition, apprentices were ineligible for full training subsidies, and the industry’s increasing skills shortage risked worsening.
It became apparent that government departments were unaware of the skills shortage in the jewellery industry; however, after an exhaustive 10-month campaign, this issue has been rectified. Jewellers are now officially recognised on the Jobs and Skills Australia Occupation Shortage List.
This will ensure that jewellery apprentices can now access full government funding for their training. The industry’s ability to employ and retain jewellers under the Temporary Skill Shortage (482) visa program has also been strengthened.
United Industry Response
The seeds were planted for this campaign in late 2024, when Nationwide Jewellers managing director Colin Pocklington was contacted by a member expressing frustration over the inability to secure government support for an apprentice. It was soon discovered that, bizarrely, jewellers were not included on the national list of in-demand occupations, despite this being a well-known issue within the ‘four walls’ of the industry.
“We’ve known for years that the jewellery trade has been struggling to attract and retain qualified jewellers. It wasn’t until we dug deeper that we realised how significant the oversight was — and how it was directly limiting access to funding,” Pocklington told Jeweller.
As noted by the 2025 Buying Group Report, Nationwide Jewellers, Showcase Jewellers, and the Independent Jewellers Collective combine to represent more than 500 members and 600 jewellery stores in Australia.
Recognising the magnitude of the problem, the three buying groups joined forces in January to prepare a united industry submission. When this campaign was announced in Jeweller in April, IJC CEO Joshua Zarb stressed the importance of addressing the issue as a unified industry.
“This is a common goal for the future of the jewellery industry. Speaking to our members, we know it is ridiculously difficult for jewellery stores to find apprentices and new jewellers,” Zarb explained.
“It’s been that way for as long as I can remember, particularly for businesses based in regional communities. Anything we can do to support local apprentices and strengthen the jewellery market is of huge importance to all three groups.”
The first step was to collect data that could be used to demonstrate the severity of the shortage. A comprehensive member survey was distributed nationally, and responses from hundreds of retail and manufacturing jewellers were compiled.
As invaluable as these responses proved to be, at the time, they were also deeply concerning:
- 96 per cent expected to need additional hours of manufacturing in the next 12 months.
- 87 per cent of businesses said it was very to extremely difficult to employ a qualified jeweller.
- 70 per cent anticipated needing 20+ hours of bench work per week within three years.
- 69 per cent quoted more than four weeks for custom jobs, double the figure from three years earlier.
This data would form the foundation of a detailed submission to Jobs and Skills Australia in early 2025. After lodging the submission, representatives from the three groups were invited to a video conference with JSA representatives to discuss the process for determining skill shortages.
“It became clear during that meeting that JSA’s data collection model, while effective for large industries, doesn’t accurately capture the realities of smaller, specialised trades like jewellery,” Pocklington explained.
“Most jewellers work in small businesses, often just one or two bench jewellers per store, and their employment data doesn’t appear in the usual national statistics.”
An initial approach to the Jobs and Skills Council, an advisory body to government, did not yield any progress and was an initial bump in the road. In response, this matter was escalated directly to Senator Andrew Giles, Minister for Skills and Training.
Within a week, a senior director from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations contacted the buying groups, acknowledging the challenges of capturing accurate data for trades dominated by small businesses, such as the jewellery industry.
This exchange led to a meeting with the Manufacturing Alliance, one of the ten Jobs and Skills Councils established by the government to support workforce development.
“The Manufacturing Alliance were incredibly receptive. They immediately understood the problem and committed to working with JSA to ensure our industry’s data was properly considered,” Pocklington said.
Mission Accomplished
After detailed data sharing, and continuous engagement with multiple government bodies, the jewellery industry’s case was finally acknowledged. On 15 October, Jobs and Skills Australia released its updated Occupation Shortage List - with jewellers officially included for the first time.
Apprentices can now access fully-funded training programs, making jewellery a more viable and appealing career path for young Australians. At the same time, retailers and manufacturers will find it easier to employ or retain skilled jewellers, both locally and from overseas.
This outcome represents a significant policy shift that is expected to have a lasting positive impact across the trade, and as Showcase Jewellers CEO Anthony Enriquez previously explained, the journey of every jeweller needs to start somewhere.
“The first step towards solving any problem is acknowledging that it exists. There’s an unhealthy amount of pressure on the jewellery industry, which needs to be addressed,” Enriquez said.
“Jewellery manufacturing is a unique and specialised skill that combines artistry with technical ability. The demand for custom-made pieces is consistently increasing, and the industry needs more jewellers. Everybody needs to start somewhere, and businesses need more support to help young people enter the industry.”
Moving forward, the three buying groups will shift to raising awareness among potential apprentices and encouraging more people to pursue jewellery as a skilled trade.
“This result is a testament to what can be achieved when the industry works together. The combined effort of our three groups, sharing data, engaging with government, and staying persistent, made all the difference,” Pocklington said.
“Now that the shortage has been formally recognised, we need to spread the word.
“It’s an exciting time for anyone considering a career as a jeweller — the opportunities have never been better.”
Additional information about the Occupational Shortage List can be found on the Jobs and Skills Australia website.
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