As the fear of recession looms following interest rate hikes by central banks to fight inflation, the outlook for commodity prices is far less bullish than it was earlier in the year.
The Morrison government's Job Ready Graduates package of reforms reduced student tuition fees in fields expected to produce the most job growth, while increasing fees for courses seen as less vital to the economy.
Australia's unemployment rate hit a 50-year low of 3.4 per cent in July, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting there are now more vacancies to be filled in the economy than there are unemployed people.
Much of the oxygen in the run-up to the Jobs and Skills Summit was taken by a debate on how much Australia's migration cap should be lifted to fill job vacancies in the short term.