NCVER’s Employers’ use and views of the vocational education and training system 2025 report, released in December, provides a detailed view of how Australian employers are engaging with training and responding to emerging skills needs, including the rapid uptake of artificial intelligence.
In 2025, most employers continued to invest in workforce skills through a blend of accredited, unaccredited, and informal training.
Among those not providing training, the most common reasons remained employees already adequately skilled (52.8%) and training being not relevant to organisational needs (46%).
Employer satisfaction held steady at 76.1%, although this rate is lower than levels recorded in the previous decade. Satisfaction challenges largely relate to training quality, standards, and the relevance of skills taught. Private training providers continue to dominate as the main source of nationally recognised training (49.1%), but TAFE’s role grew significantly. TAFE usage rose to 26.2%, an increase of 9.5 percentage points.
AI adoption emerged as one of the most significant developments in 2025. 39.8% of employers used AI tools, and 58.1% adopted them within the past year, highlighting rapid uptake. Adoption varied widely by industry, with 78.4% usage in Information Media and Telecommunications compared to 28.1% in Accommodation and Food Services.
Among AI users:
