Artificial intelligence is transforming job tasks and the skills required to perform them. As work evolves, the ability to transition between jobs and industries may become increasingly vital.
Women may face particularly significant pressure to adapt. Jobs and Skills Australia has found that women are more exposed than men to automation and AI changes, primarily due to the industries and occupations they work in.
While this doesn’t mean jobs will vanish, it does indicate that AI will likely alter how jobs are performed. Many workers will need to acquire new skills and adapt, while others may need to shift to different jobs or industries entirely.
Current discussions about this transition primarily focus on workers, emphasizing the need for reskilling, retraining, and increased adaptability.
However, there’s another aspect to consider. Employers across various industries may also need to become more flexible in determining which experiences truly matter.
Changing industries doesn’t mean starting again
Our research involving women who successfully transitioned into construction from unrelated fields suggests that employers must also adapt, particularly in recognizing experience gained in other sectors. Moving to a new industry doesn’t mean starting from scratch.
We studied 655 women working in Australian construction companies. Some began their careers in construction, while others moved from sectors like healthcare, education, transport, finance, hospitality, or manufacturing.
These career changers brought valuable skills, including management, communication, collaboration, and coordination. One woman, a former commercial pilot and engineering consultant, shared: “I do have a lot of experience, and I do have a lot of relevant skills that I think I bring to the table too.”
However, possessing skills from diverse backgrounds and having employers recognize them are two different challenges.
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Construction needs workers
The Australian construction industry is currently facing a worker shortage, with around 20,000 jobs unfilled. Women make up only 13% of the industry’s 1.37 million workers.
Increasing women’s participation could help address this issue. BuildSkills Australia estimates that boosting women’s involvement in residential construction could add 51,000 workers by 2029, reducing the projected workforce gap by 44%.
Most career changers in our study entered construction through informal channels, often leveraging personal networks rather than traditional recruitment methods.
One participant highlighted the importance of these connections: “If I […] didn’t have access to this network, I’m not sure how I’d even go about starting. I’d find it intimidating, and would presume my qualifications wouldn’t align with expectations.”
While networks can help individuals get a foot in the door, they also expose a larger issue. What happens to those without industry contacts or knowledge of available opportunities? They may assume their skills and experience aren’t what employers seek.
Our research revealed that this issue can also arise in formal recruitment processes. Hiring managers acknowledged that the problem isn’t solely with candidates but with how the industry perceives career changers. One manager noted: “I don’t believe the obstacle is with the candidate; I think it’s us not being creative enough to create roles or positions that suit their skill sets or provide a platform for transitioning into the industry.”
Who really needs industry experience?
The hiring managers we interviewed agreed that specialist roles require specific training in construction or engineering. However, they saw greater potential for cross-industry transitions in roles like administration, finance, safety, and environmental work. In these positions, skills from other fields could be highly valuable, and industry-specific knowledge could often be learned on the job.
Instead of solely focusing on whether a candidate has prior industry experience, employers could ask: What skills does this person already possess that could benefit the role? And what truly requires specialist training or experience?
They can achieve this by better recognizing the skills workers already possess, what they can learn, and what genuinely requires prior industry experience.
