As one of the largest manufacturing sectors in Australia, the Printing and Graphic Arts industry is a significant contributor to many aspects of the Australian economy and workforce, with more than 6,500 businesses in operation and almost 27,000 people employed in related occupations. The industry facilitates the effective communication of messages through a range of media platforms and assists creative industries to deliver their products. There are many possible specialisations within the industry, including desktop publishing, digital printing, graphic pre-press, multimedia, print finishing, print production support, printing, and screen printing.
As different parts of the sector are contracting, growing or transforming in response to external forces, it is important that vocational education and training (VET) reflects an understanding of this industry change and the necessary adaptability and sustainability of the industry itself.
Nationally recognised training for the Printing and Graphic Arts industry is delivered under the ICP – Printing and Graphic Arts Training Package.
For graphic and other design, see Visual Arts, Craft and Design.
Information sourced from the most recently available Skills Forecast, the Printing and Graphic Arts IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
The Printing and Graphic Arts IRC was not required to submit an annual update to their 2019 Skills Forecast during 2020. As such, the version published in 2019 remains the most recently published Skills Forecast for this industry.
Printing and Graphic Arts IRC
Please note: any employment projections outlined below were calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics prior to COVID-19.
Overall, employment in the Printing and Graphic Arts industry has declined by more than 50% between 2000 and 2020, and this downward trend is predicted to continue to 2024. This data refers only to those captured under the ANZSIC classification of the Printing industry, and so may not include other elements of the wider Printing and Graphic Arts industry.
Printers make up the largest proportion of this workforce at just over 18% but employment levels are predicted to decrease between 2020 and 2024, with employment projected to fall slightly by 2.3%. Print Finishers and Screen Printers, Printing Assistants and Table Workers, and Graphic Pre-press Trades Workers are also predicted to fall by 3%, 7% and 1% respectively. The only VET-related occupation predicted to experience employment growth between 2020 and 2024 is Graphic and Web Designers, and Illustrators, with a prediction of nearly 14% growth.
Program enrolments in Printing and Graphic Arts-related qualifications fell substantially from just over 2,730 in 2015 to 1,095 in 2019. Program completions have also experienced a significant decline from approximately 1,000 in 2015 to just under 400 in 2019.
The majority of program enrolments in Printing and Graphic Arts-related qualifications in 2019 were at the certificate III level 75%). The next highest qualification level was certificate II, accounting for 22% of program enrolments.
The qualifications with the highest enrolments in 2019 were the Certificate III in Printing (36%), Certificate III in Print Communications (24%) and the Certificate II in Printing and Graphic Arts (General) (22%). The intended occupation for qualifications in Printing and Graphic Arts-related qualifications varied by individual qualification, with Printing Machinist being the most common intended occupation, followed by Graphic Pre-press Trades Worker.
In 2019, Printing and Graphic Arts-related qualifications were largely delivered by TAFE institutes (59%) followed by private training providers (39%). This did vary significantly between qualifications, with TAFE institutes delivering 100% of the Certificate IV in Printing and Graphic Arts and 83% of the Certificate III in Print Communications, while private training providers delivered a higher proportion of Certificate III in Print Manufacturing (74%) and Certificate III in Printing (57%).
Enrolments tended to be Commonwealth and state funded (89%) across all provider types, however, private training providers accounted for the largest proportion of international fee for service (14%).
Victoria had the most students enrolled in Printing and Graphic Arts-related qualifications in 2019, with 41%. Many of the remaining students were from either New South Wales (15%), with Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia all close to 12%
More than two fifths of training was delivered in Victoria (45%), followed by New South Wales (14%), Western Australia and South Australia (13%), and Queensland (12%).
Apprentice and trainee commencements fell overall between 2010 and 2019, noting a significant but brief rise (of over 410 commencements) occurring in 2012. A small increase in commencements also occurred between 2017 and 2018 (approximately 230 and 250 respectively) followed by a decrease to less than 200 in 2019. Apprentice and trainee completions peaked at just over 800 in 2015 but have declined overall between 2010 and 2019. As was the case with commencements, a small increase in completions occurred between 2017 and 2018 (approximately 210 and 260 respectively) followed by a decrease to just under 230 in 2019. Intended occupations for apprentices and trainees in this industry tended to be Printing Machinist or Print Finishers. Victoria reported the largest proportion of Printing and Graphic Arts apprentices and trainees in 2019 (41%), followed by New South Wales (20%), and Queensland and South Australia (13%).
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The Printing and Graphic Arts IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast suggests the following are priority skills for the Printing and Graphic Arts industry:
According to the job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers in the Printing and Graphic Arts industry were communication skills and being detail-oriented. The most advertised occupations were Sales and Marketing Manager, and Screen Printer.
The Printing and Graphic Arts IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast has identified key drivers for change within the Printing and Graphic Arts industry, an industry which is currently in a period of disruption. These drivers include changing market demand, technological change, and broader product and service offerings.
Changing market demand has caused a level of disruption within the industry, with a decline in some products such as print newspapers and magazines, and potential growth opportunities for other areas of the sector. Potential growth products include printed consumer advertising (e.g. printed catalogues and direct mail), packaging, food labelling and packaging, printing for publishing, general business products and events. These changes to the type of outputs expected from the industry may mean a change in the technical skills required of workers in order produce these products on a range of levels for diverse communication purposes.
Technological change has been highlighted in the Printing and Graphic Arts IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast as falling into four different categories. The first includes the shift from offset to digital printing technology, meaning that newer digital printing technologies such as commercial inkjet printing are resulting in rapid turnaround printing services, as well as signifying a decrease in the number of technical staff required for the printing process but also requiring workers to have precise time management and prioritisation skills. Secondly, growth in on-demand printing, largely driven by newer printing technology, enables book retailers and publishers to hold digital copies of books and only print books as orders are received presenting potential opportunities with niche or technical publishers. Thirdly, the industry is well positioned to capitalise on parts of the major growth area of 3D printing which is expected to have implications for all industries. Lastly, automation is expected to impact parts of the industry over the longer term, with print production workflow being one area of the sector with the potential for automation.
Broader product and service offerings means that industry workers will increasingly be employed by organisations with a wider product focus such as customisable products, targeted promotional material, emerging product offerings, extended services, multi-channel marketing, sustainability and augmented reality. This widening scope of potential products and services affiliated with the Printing and Graphic Arts industry means workers will be required to broaden their skills and knowledge.
In addition to the changes outlined above, the Printing and Graphic Arts IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast also describes changes to job roles, meaning workers are increasingly working within multidisciplinary communications teams as opposed to being employed by businesses that solely focus on Printing and Graphic Arts sector related activities. Workers with printing and / or graphic arts skills and qualifications are being employed by a diversity of businesses and industries, so even though it may appear like there is a disruption to sector activity, it may mean workers are being brought in-house into non-printing businesses.
The themes discussed above are supported by a recent IBISWorld report Printing in Australia Industry Trends (2015-2020), which indicates that printing industry revenue has declined over the past five years, as falling demand, strong price pressure and excess capacity have negatively affected the industry's performance. According to IBISWorld, consumers have increasingly sought information online, and retailers have responded by increasing their digital advertising spend. Traditional print materials are slower and more costly to distribute than digital equivalents. As a result, more businesses have been trading online without using printed materials. Industry revenue is projected to decline at an annualised 5.8% over the five years through 2019-20, to $6.5 billion. This includes an anticipated fall of 8.2% in the current year, as the effects of COVID-19 reduce downstream demand for printed advertising materials.
IBISWorld reports that the Printing industry's performance is projected to continue declining over the next five years. As mentioned above, digital alternatives are anticipated to further weaken demand for industry services, particularly in the advertising, magazine and newspaper segments. Changes in the financial and business segments are also likely to reduce demand for printed materials, as more transactions are conducted and processed online. To remain competitive, industry firms may need to focus on niche segments or offer integrated end-to-end services such as designing, marketing consultancy and distribution solutions.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated shutdown will have an enduring impact on jobs and the economy for years to come. It is estimated that employment in the Printing industry (including the reproduction of recorded media) has fallen by 25% as a result of the pandemic (manual estimates by Grattan researchers).
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Workforce landscape series 2017: Printing and Graphic Arts – FutureNow Creative and Leisure Industries Training Councilining Council
Printing in Australia Industry Trends (2015-2020) – IBISWorld
Estimating the COVID-19 Employment Shock – Grattan Institute
Australian Graphic Design Association Inc. (AGDA)
Australian Sign and Graphics Association (ASGA)
Design Institute of Australia (DIA)
FutureNow Creative and Leisure Industries Training Council
Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA)
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) Print Division
Department of Employment 2020, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal:
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020, Employed persons by industry group of main job (ANZSIC), Sex, State and Territory, November 1984 onwards, 6291.0.55.003 - EQ06, viewed 1 August 2020, https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6291.0.55.003May%202020?OpenDocument
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – Employment, Income and Unpaid Work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
ICP Printing and Graphic Arts Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee collection, including:
Priority skills data have been extracted from the Printing and Graphic Arts IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.
Job vacancy data have been extracted from Burning Glass Technologies 2020, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Burning Glass Technologies, Boston, viewed July 2020, https://www.burning-glass.com.
Data shown represent most requested generic skills and occupations according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2016 and June 2020 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.
