If you’re young and thinking about the jobs of the future or mid-career and looking for a switch, we have the latest data on the most in-demand jobs for Queensland’s booming and resource-rich Central region. SEE THE TOP 10 IN-DEMAND JOBS
The data, drawn from the Regional Australia Institute, shows doctors and other healthcare professionals are at the top of the growth heap, with demand rising to 323 positions in December 2022 from 105 in December 2017, a 207 per cent increase.
The vast Central region, which stretches from Bowen in the north to Maryborough in the south and the coal-rich Bowen Basin to the west, led all of regional Queensland in year-on-year job vacancy growth at 29 per cent.
The Toowoomba and South West region by contrast recorded a growth rate of 25 per cent.
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Vacancies across all of regional Queensland have also outstripped growth in Brisbane in the past five years, rising by 89 per cent compared to Brisbane’s 56 per cent.
Regional Australia Institute CEO Liz Ritchie expects the growth to continue, propelled by another wave of migration.
“Our latest research continues to show that one in five Australians are considering a move to the regions,” she said in a speech to the National Press Club on May 24.
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“A quick calculation of the one in five tells you that is 3.5m people.
“If this happens, we will see 13m people living in regional Australia.
“This would be half the nation, not the third we see today.”
To meet the ballooning growth, Ms Ritchie calls for a “national population plan” and more targeted investment in skills and infrastructure for the regions.
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“This plan needs to overlay the jobs and industries of today and tomorrow with geographical locations,” she said.
“This will enable oversight of both hard and most importantly, soft infrastructure investment.”
Ms Ritchie also addressed regional Australia’s escalating housing crisis, noting average house prices outside of metro areas had risen 42 per cent since 2020.
“You can’t fill the jobs if you don’t have the housing and you can’t get the housing without getting the right skills,” she said.