Brisbane’s Olympic building boom is fuelling a civil engineering hiring surge, with Queensland now advertising more jobs in the field than any other state, despite having a fraction of NSW’s population.
Queensland recorded 674 civil engineering vacancies in August, almost 30 per cent more than a year ago and ahead of NSW (639) and Victoria (369), as preparations ramp up for the Brisbane 2032 Games.
Those jobs were in more than 20 fields, including geotechnical, rail, structural, transport and water engineering, according to the federal government’s monthly Internet Vacancy Index, collated by Jobs and Skills Australia.
Engineers Australia chief engineer Katherine Richards the figures showed the scale of opportunity and a need to ensure Queensland could attract and develop the talent required to deliver its future projects.
“Queensland’s infrastructure pipeline is creating significant opportunities for civil engineers, especially those who are willing to move. It’s the place to be right now if you’re an engineer,” she said.
“From planning and design through to construction, engineers will be central to delivering the projects and services communities rely on, including the infrastructure needed to support the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
“To meet that demand, we need to promote the many pathways into engineering and make the profession accessible to more people. Building a strong pipeline of talent will help ensure Queensland has the skills to deliver its ambitions for the future.”
Nearly 70,000 engineers were expected to retire over the next 15 years, Richards said, which would add to workforce pressures.
But it would also create opportunities for those entering the profession.
“Australia is facing a significant engineering workforce challenge, but for young engineers that’s also a major opportunity,” Richards said.
“Engineering is at the centre of the nation’s biggest priorities, from building clean energy systems and digital infrastructure to strengthening defence capability and improving productivity.”
A report from the Queensland Major Contractors Association released last week showed the state’s major infrastructure pipeline had grown to $139.5 billion.
QMCA chief executive Andrew Chapman said Queensland was moving into one of the most significant periods of infrastructure delivery in its history.
“The opportunities for our industry, our workforce and our economy are enormous,” he said.
Chapman said the focus now needed to be on insuring Queensland had the “capacity, capability and productivity” to complete the work.
“We cannot expect to deliver this volume of work by continuing to do things the same way,” he said.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, who has ministerial oversight of Olympic infrastructure, said Queensland was “open for business”.
“We’re building things here again, including a record number of homes as well as the hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure the state’s been missing as part of our $119 billion pipeline,” he said.
“We’re delivering record apprenticeship completions, including more women than ever getting on the tools, and people are fleeing other states because they know Queensland is a place of opportunity again.”
Late last year, the Queensland Audit Office’s major projects report warned of a 50,000-worker shortfall this financial year as infrastructure construction ramped up.
An updated QAO report is due within weeks.
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