Queensland to continue as an employment powerhouse

• Queensland’s strong employment growth is projected to continue, with new Jobs Queensland data projecting employment will grow by 5.4% between 2023-24 and 2027–28.
• Employment is projected to grow across urban, regional and remote Queensland.
• More than 70% of all additional jobs are projected to be in four industries: health care and social assistance; public administration and safety; professional, scientific and technical services; and education and training.

Jobs Queensland’s latest Anticipating Future Skills Series data shows the top five regions for employment growth are projected to be the Sunshine Coast (7.3% or 14,708 additional workers), Logan-Beaudesert (6.6% or 9,320 additional workers), Moreton Bay – North (6.4% or 5,768 additional workers), Gold Coast (6.2% or 22,009 additional workers) and Brisbane (6.1% or 61,348 additional workers).

This strong projected growth builds upon the existing strength of Queensland’s economy and labour market, with Queensland recording the fastest jobs growth rate of any State or Territory in the twelve months to November 2024.

The fastest-growing industries are projected to be:

• healthcare and social assistance (up 12.5% or 57,856 additional workers)
• public administration and safety (up 8.2% or 16,373 additional workers)
• professional, scientific and technical services (up 8.2% or 18,609 additional workers)
• education and training (up 6.9% or 17,336 additional workers).

Queensland’s workforce will also be more skilled than ever, with over 2.2 million working Queenslanders (72%) projected to hold a Certificate III or above as their highest qualification by 2027-28.

The latest Anticipating Future Skills data shows employment opportunities across Queensland’s industries and regions.

Jobs Queensland’s insights will help industries and regions secure the workforces they need for the future and help Queenslanders identify meaningful careers.

Anticipating Future Skills Series 5 features in-depth employment projections for 17 Queensland regions, 19 industry divisions, 358 occupations and 7 qualification levels.

These are the most detailed employment projections available in Queensland and the data is underpinned by extensive industry and regional testing and validation.

Jobs Queensland is an independent statutory entity that provides strategic advice on future skills, including through the Anticipating Future Skills (AFS) Series.

AFS Series 5 projections are based on the Queensland Budget 2024-25 forecasts.