New government figures released to Parliament show 58 per cent of the schools in the Illawarra region had vacant permanent teaching positions in October.

The total number of unfilled roles was 105, including new curriculum positions.

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NSW Teachers Federation deputy president Henry Rajendra attended the rally at Wollongong surf life saving club, to warn that without action, the shortages of full time and casual teachers would grow due to rising enrolments, a 30 per cent decline in people studying teaching, a rapidly ageing workforce and unsustainable workloads.

"If the NSW Government doesn't act now, the teacher shortages will only get worse and it's country kids who will pay the price," Mr Rajendra said.

"Documents released to Parliament show the NSW Government has covered up the extent of the shortages and the clear connection with uncompetitive salaries and unsustainable workloads."

A confidential Department of Education briefing stated "the demands and expectations on teachers are increasing while the current rewards, pathways and learning opportunities are not providing enough incentive. On average teacher pay has been falling relative to pay in other professions since the late 1980s and this makes it a less attractive profession for high achieving students".

"Every year teachers have been asked to do more but every year their pay has fallen in comparison to other professions,," Mr Rajendra said.

"The shortages are proof that if we don't pay teachers what they are worth, we don't get the teachers we need

"The NSW Government is ignoring the advice of its own department about the critical situation we are in.

"Instead of investing in teachers it wants to do nothing on workloads and maintain the wages cap that has contributed to the measurable decline in the attractiveness of the profession."

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