Queensland’s employment projections to 2025-26 show strong growth

• Jobs Queensland’s fourth Anticipating Future Skills five-year employment projects total employment in Queensland of close to 3 million by 2025-26, an increase of 207,000 new jobs.
• The four fastest growing regions are Wide Bay (13.6%); Sunshine Coast (12.5%); Townsville (12.0%) and Central Queensland (11.5%).
• The new data shows Queensland’s four fastest growing industries are Health Care and Social Assistance (16.4%); Professional Scientific and Technical Services (12.6%); Accommodation and Food Services (10.0%); and Education and Training (9.9%).

Jobs Queensland’s Anticipating Future Skills Series Four headline employment projections over the five-year period to 2025-26 have been released today.

The employment projections reiterate Queensland’s strong employment, with almost 207,000 additional workers projected to be employed in Queensland between 2021-22 and 2025-26.

Employment growth is spread across Queensland, with the Health Care and Social Assistance industry continuing to be an employment powerhouse, increasing by 17% by 2025–26.

Queensland’s workforce is going to be more educated than ever, with 82,000 more bachelor-qualified workers and almost 44,000 more workers with Certificate III and IV qualifications.

The Anticipating Future Skills Series comprises a set of baseline employment projections for regions, industries, occupations and qualifications, as well as projections for three scenarios - digitisation post-COVID, changing skills profile and global headwinds.

The Anticipating Future Skills Series also considers extensive industry feedback from testing and validation workshops.

Industries impacted by COVID-19 have bounced back, with almost 21,000 more people employed in Accommodation and Food Services, 9,000 more in Retail and 2,000 more in Arts and Recreation projected by 2025-26.  

Visitors to the Jobs Queensland website can access free resources including a state overview and a series of industry and regional profiles and online database from 17 August that allows you to build fully customisable profiles on the projections.

 Quotes attributable to the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer:

 “The Palaszczuk Government’s Good people. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032 is creating a strong and diverse workforce.

“We are investing $1.3 billion per annum in training and skills services  to support that.

“In 2022-23, we put in more than $135 million across various small business and skills pathways grants programs to support Queenslanders into good jobs.

“This year alone the broad range of grant funding programs and initiatives are estimated to have provided support or assistance to more than 44,600 workers or jobseekers. 

“Pre pandemic job numbers have jumped more than 278,000 since March 2020.

“Jobs Queensland’s Anticipating Future Skills Series 4 employment projections released today plays an important role in helping us understand Queensland’s future labour market.

“It’s forecasts also make it clear that the Vocational Education and Training review I have underway will be important in guiding our skills and training decisions going forward.

“The economic modelling of future employment trends across all industries and regions of Queensland provides information to support workforce planning, identify jobs growth, training needs and help Queenslanders make decisions about future careers.

“The interactive online data tools can support business, industry and regions to plan for their future, ensuring they have the skilled workforce they need, and assisting them to continue to grow, now and into the future.”

For more information or to access the Anticipating Future Skills Series Four employment projections visit www.jobsqueensland.qld.gov.au/afs 

ENDS

Media contact: Gary Shipway 0458 090 906