Librarian And 15 More Jobs We Didn't Expect To See In Australia's Skilled Occupations List

The list, which will be updated on a six-month basis, consists of skilled occupations for visa applicants to nominate should they wish to apply for skilled migration to Australia. The occupations reflect occupations that are of high demand in the country, hence the need for local employers to recruit overseas workers to fulfill the skill shortages.

Believe it or not, acupuncture, a key component in traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body, has been practiced in Australia since as early as the 1840s to treat various disorders and for pain management. According to Issues Magazine, a nationwide survey in 2005 found that estimated that nearly one in 10 (9.2%) Australians used acupuncture over a 12-month period.

According to Payscale, an acupuncturist earns an average salary of AUD48,257 (RM157,552) per year. To practice acupuncture in Australia, you are required to register with Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.

What? How hard can it be to find someone to stick some bricks together, you ask? You'd be surprised.

Fact is, there's been a skills shortage of bricklayers in Australia since 2014, resulting from improved housing starts, the ageing bricklayer workforce, and low apprenticeship commencements. According to Payscale, a bricklayer earns an average wage of AU$29.29 (RM95.63) per hour.

With cotton growers in Australia doubling their plantings in the 2016 season and the steadily climbing market price, so did the demand to fill the shortage of cotton growers in the country.

Being a cotton grower involves planning, organising, controlling, coordinating, and performing farming operations to grow cotton, with farm hands and workers earning an average salary of AUD21.95 (RM71.66) per hour, according to Payscale.

This is probably the first time most of us, especially if you're not familiar with horses, have heard of a farrier!

A farrier refers to a person who is professionally trained to inspect, trim, and shape horses' hooves, as well as to form, fit, and nail horseshoes. In fact, there is an organisation for men and women who make their living as professional farriers in Australia called the Australian Farriers and Blacksmiths Association Inc.

Confession time - we had to do a bit of Googling to figure out what a fibrous plasterer does, which mainly involves applying and fixing plasterboard partitions, suspended ceilings, fire ratings systems, acoustic tiles, and composite wall linings to buildings.

According to Payscale, a plasterer earns an average salary of AUD28.10 (RM91.74) per hour.

Growing flowers require more than just planting seeds in your garden.

Also known as a floriculturist, a flower grower refers to a person who plans, organises, controls, coordinates and performs planting, cultivating and harvesting activities to grow flowering and foliage plants.

On a related note, florist is also included in the skilled occupations list under the Short-term Skilled Occupation List.

Complementing Australia's wine industry, grape growers are required to plan, organise, control, coordinate, and perform farming operations to grow table or wine grapes.

On that note, wine maker is also included in the skilled occupations list under the STSOL.

Unlike football as we know it, Australian football mostly resembles rugby, in which two teams of 18 players try to score as many goals as possible on an oval-shaped field.

Yeah, this was pretty random.

As its name suggests, a furniture finisher applies finishes on furniture surfaces, such as stain, lacquer, paint, oil, varnish, polishes, and waxes.

A furniture finisher can earn up to AUD22.00 (RM71.83) per hour.

You've heard of carpenters, but have you ever heard of a joiner? While a joiner also builds things by joining (heh) pieces of wood together, they work with lighter and more ornamental work than those done by a carpenter, such as structures and fittings of a house or ship for installation.

A joiner can earn up to AUD31.00 (RM101.21) per hour, depending on location and experience.

Locksmiths today have gone beyond installing and maintaining locks and keys. Their skills now include working with security devices and systems in a variety of sectors, including residential, commercial, government, and automotive.

According to Payscale, locksmith earn an average salary of AUD21.86 (RM71.28) per hour.

According to Payscale, a librarian earns an average salary of AUD63,830 (RM208,396.08) per year in Australia.

In a sense, panelbeaters really do beat on panels... as in vehicle panels. Also known as collision repairers, their work is specialised in repairing damage to metal, fibreglass and, plastic body work on vehicles as well as in forming replacement vehicle panels.

As its name suggests, signwriters design, manufacture and install signs, including advertising signs for shops, businesses and public facilities as well as signs for transport systems.

While traditional signwriting requires a steady hand, its modern day iteration designs and 'outputs' signs with the assistance of computer software and a range of equipment such as large format digital printers, plotters, cutters, flat bed routers and engraving machines.

Basically, a sugar cane grower plans, organises, controls, coordinates and performs farming operations to grow sugar cane.

FUN FACT: Australia is the third largest exporter of raw sugar in the world.

Not to be confused with human bodybuilders, a vehicle body builder manufactures and repairs prototype production units and purpose-built vehicle bodies such as buses, trucks, fire engines and caravans.