An outcome of a strong performing labour market and growth in major projects is skill and labour shortages such as that being experienced in the NT and in some occupations across Australia. The Territory Government’s primary focus will continue to be training and upskilling locals. However, this gap cannot be addressed entirely by training locals. In the 2010-11 financial year 1877 visa nominations and sponsorships were certified. The workforce will need to be supplemented through migration programs both interstate and international.

The services provided to employers and business and the activities undertaken by the NT Government in skilled migration are diverse and wide ranging. They include:

• The development of State Migration Plan, Regional Migration Agreements, Enterprise Migration Agreements, actively engaging with Australian Government to profile NT employers to adequately reflect their needs.
• The certification of NT nominations under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) and nominations for applicants under state specific migration programs.
• Workforce attraction and promotion activities both within Australia and overseas for example, UK, Ireland, and South Africa. Promotion activities include targeted media campaigns designed to promote the Territory as a place to work and live.
• Increasing the number of international students studying at Charles Darwin University. International students are a potential labour supply for business and industry, with studying students able to work 20 hours a week.​