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Engineering and technical recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help regional councils, consultancies, contractors, utilities and resource companies across Australia hire engineers, drafters and technical officers, from graduates to experienced people. We build the discipline, the qualification and the supervision into the search.

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Illustrative image: an engineer holding a drawing and a technical officer operating survey equipment beside road and drainage works in dry eucalyptus country.

How hard is it to hire engineers in regional Australia?

Engineering hires take planning outside the cities. Tell us your start date and we plan the search around it.

engineering occupations we profile are in shortage
4 of 5
Civil, mechanical, electrical and mining engineers are rated in shortage for 2026; environmental engineers are not. In shortage means nationally or in regional areas.1
of employers recruiting professionals still had a vacancy open after a month
51%
Across all professional occupations in Australia, September quarter 2026.2
of recruiting employers in outer regional and remote Australia found it hard to hire
53%
Compared with 42% in major cities, September quarter 2026.2
of online job ads in Mackay–Isaac–Whitsunday are for engineers
4.2%
104 of 2,471 ads a month, a regional Queensland example. Three-month average to September 2026.3

Hiring graduate and experienced engineers

In Queensland, professional engineering services must be carried out by a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ), by someone working under an RPEQ's direct supervision, or entirely to a prescriptive standard.4 Direct supervision means the RPEQ actively directs and reviews the work of an engineer who isn't registered, such as a graduate or an engineer new to Queensland, and stays responsible for it.5 We talk with you about how that will work, and share it with candidates.

A graduate you hire now builds the experience RPEQ registration asks for: at least five years' relevant work in the past ten, four of them after graduating, on top of a Washington Accord-recognised degree or its equivalent.4

Other states and territories set their own rules. Victoria and the ACT require registration in prescribed areas of engineering. New South Wales and Western Australia register engineers for building work, Tasmania and the Northern Territory for building work and certain areas of engineering, and South Australia doesn't require registration to practise.6 Tell us the state and we build its rules into the brief.

Which qualifications and registration does each role need?

Typical qualification,7 Queensland registration5 and 2026 shortage rating, where in shortage means nationally or in regional areas.1

RoleTypical qualificationRegistration in Queensland2026 shortage rating
Civil engineerAccredited engineering degree7RPEQ, or work under an RPEQ's direct supervision5Shortage
Mechanical engineerAccredited engineering degreeRPEQ, or direct supervisionShortage
Electrical engineerAccredited engineering degreeRPEQ, or direct supervisionShortage
Mining engineerAccredited engineering degreeRPEQ, or direct supervisionShortage
Environmental engineerAccredited engineering degreeRPEQ where the work is professional engineeringNo shortage
Civil or mechanical draftspersonMEM40422 Certificate IV in Engineering Drafting, or a diploma8No licence. Where drawings are part of professional engineering work, an RPEQ directs that work and takes responsibility for it.5Shortage
Mechanical or electrical technicianMEM50222 Diploma of Engineering – Technical,9 or UEE5042010Electrical work needs an electrical licenceShortage

Roles we recruit

Open a role for what it involves, qualifications, registration, shortage status, pay and what to tell us in your brief.

Civil engineering

Graduate and experienced civil engineers for councils, consultancies and contractors.

What the role does
Civil engineers plan, design, organise and oversee the construction and operation of projects such as dams, bridges, pipelines, water supply and sewerage systems.11
Qualifications
Engineers Australia accredits engineering programs in three categories: professional engineer, engineering technologist and engineering associate.7 Civil designers and technical officers may hold RII50520 Diploma of Civil Construction Design.12
Registration
In Queensland, professional engineering work needs an RPEQ to carry it out or directly supervise it, unless it is done entirely to a prescriptive standard.4
Demand
Civil Engineer is rated in shortage for 2026, and has been every year since 2021.1,13
Pay
Award minimum, where the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers the role: $68,538 a year for a full-time graduate with a four- or five-year degree (Level 1 Graduate professional), from 1 July 2026. Black coal and council roles can fall under other awards.14 Typical market pay: median full-time earnings of $2,217 a week for civil engineering professionals in May 2025.15
What to tell us
The focus (roads, water, drainage, structures), the experience level, the design software you use, the office and site split and, for a graduate, who the supervising RPEQ is.

Mechanical engineering

Graduate and experienced mechanical engineers for maintenance, reliability, design and project teams.

What the role does
Mechanical engineers plan, design and oversee the assembly, commissioning, operation and maintenance of mechanical and process plant.16
Qualifications
An accredited engineering degree.7 Technical officers may hold MEM50222 Diploma of Engineering – Technical9 or MEM60122 Advanced Diploma of Engineering.17
Registration
RPEQ rules apply to professional engineering work in Queensland.5
Demand
Mechanical Engineer is rated in shortage for 2026.1
Pay
Award minimum, where the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers the role: $68,538 a year for a full-time graduate with a four- or five-year degree (Level 1 Graduate professional), from 1 July 2026. Black coal and council roles can fall under other awards.14 Typical market pay: median full-time earnings of $2,614 a week for industrial, mechanical and production engineers in May 2025.18
What to tell us
Design, maintenance, reliability or project work, the plant (fixed plant, mobile fleet, processing), the shutdown and roster pattern, the experience level and, for a graduate, the RPEQ supervisor.

Electrical engineering

Graduate and experienced electrical engineers for utilities, industrial operators, renewables and consultancies.

What the role does
Electrical engineers design and oversee equipment and systems for generating, distributing, using and controlling electric power.19
Qualifications
An accredited engineering degree.7 Some electrical technical officers start as licensed electricians and then complete UEE50420 Diploma of Electrical Engineering, which needs UEE30820 or an unrestricted electrician's licence to enter.10
Registration and licences
RPEQ rules apply to professional engineering work in Queensland.5 Electrical installation and repair work generally needs an electrical work licence, though the law allows some electrical work as part of an electrical engineer's profession.20
Demand
Electrical Engineer is rated in shortage for 2026.1
Pay
Award minimum, where the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers the role: $68,538 a year for a full-time graduate with a four- or five-year degree (Level 1 Graduate professional), from 1 July 2026. Black coal and council roles can fall under other awards.14 Typical market pay: median full-time earnings of $2,553 a week for electrical engineers in May 2025.21
What to tell us
Power systems, protection, HV and LV design, controls or renewables, the software, any site switching authorisations the person will need, the experience level and, for a graduate, the RPEQ supervisor.

Mining engineering

Graduate and experienced mining engineers for coal and metalliferous operations, open-cut and underground.

What the role does
Mining engineers plan and direct the engineering side of locating and extracting minerals.22
Qualifications
An accredited engineering degree.7
Registration
RPEQ rules apply to professional engineering work in Queensland.5
Demand
Mining Engineer is rated in shortage for 2026, and has been every year since 2021.1,13
Pay
Award minimum, where the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers the role: $68,538 a year for a full-time graduate with a four- or five-year degree (Level 1 Graduate professional), from 1 July 2026. Black coal and council roles can fall under other awards.14 Typical market pay: median full-time earnings of $3,518 a week for mining engineers, a group that includes petroleum engineers, in May 2025.23
What to tell us
Coal or metalliferous, open-cut or underground, planning, drill and blast or geotechnical work, the software, the roster and residential, drive-in or fly-in arrangements, the experience level and any graduate rotation.

Environmental engineering

Graduate and experienced environmental engineers for water, waste, approvals, monitoring and rehabilitation work.

What the role does
Environmental engineers assess the impact of projects on air, water, soil and noise, design ways to treat and safely dispose of waste, and assess long-term environmental risk.24
Qualifications
An accredited engineering degree.7
Registration
RPEQ rules apply where the work is a professional engineering service in Queensland.5
Demand
Environmental Engineer moved from shortage to no shortage in 2026.1,13
Pay
Award minimum, where the Professional Employees Award 2020 covers the role: $68,538 a year for a full-time graduate with a four- or five-year degree, from 1 July 2026.14 No national median is published for environmental engineers alone; the wider "other engineering professionals" group, which includes other disciplines, had median full-time earnings of $2,649 a week in May 2025.25
What to tell us
Water quality, contaminated land, waste, approvals or rehabilitation work, the fieldwork and remote travel, the tools, and whether the role needs an engineering degree or suits an environmental scientist.

Drafting

Qualified civil, structural and mechanical draftspersons, from recent graduates to senior drafters.

What the role does
Engineering draftspersons prepare detailed drawings and plans in support of engineers.26
Qualifications
MEM40422 Certificate IV in Engineering Drafting8 or MEM50222 Diploma of Engineering – Technical;9 for civil design, RII50520 Diploma of Civil Construction Design.12
Registration
No licence is needed for drafting. Where drawings are part of professional engineering work in Queensland, an RPEQ directs that work and takes responsibility for it.5
Demand
Civil Engineering Draftsperson and Mechanical Engineering Draftsperson are rated in shortage for 2026; Electrical Engineering Draftsperson is not.1
Pay
Award minimum: $1,309.50 a week for a full-time technician with a Diploma of Engineering – Technical (level C5), from 1 July 2026, where the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 covers the employer.27 Typical market pay: median full-time earnings in May 2025 were $1,730 a week for civil, $2,589 for mechanical and $2,854 for electrical engineering draftspersons and technicians, nationally.28,25
What to tell us
The discipline, the CAD or BIM platform and version, the standards you work to, the experience level, and who checks and signs the drawings.

Technical officers

Technical officers and engineering technicians, from graduates to experienced staff, for councils, utilities, laboratories and mines.

What the role does
Engineering technicians and technical officers run tests, collect and analyse data and prepare reports in support of engineers.26
Qualifications
MEM50222 Diploma of Engineering – Technical,9 MEM60122 Advanced Diploma of Engineering,17 or UEE50420 Diploma of Electrical Engineering for electrical work.10
Licences
Electrical work needs an electrical work licence.20
Demand
Mechanical and electrical engineering technicians are rated in shortage for 2026; civil engineering technicians are not.1
Pay
Award minimum: $1,309.50 a week for a full-time technician with a Diploma of Engineering – Technical (level C5), from 1 July 2026, where the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 covers the employer.27 Typical market pay: median full-time earnings in May 2025 were $1,730 a week for civil, $2,589 for mechanical and $2,854 for electrical engineering draftspersons and technicians, nationally.28,25
What to tell us
Laboratory or field work, the tests and reporting involved, the vehicle and travel, and any licence needed for electrical work.

How we help you hire engineers and technical staff

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We do the searching and organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about the discipline, the outputs you need, the project location, the experience level and, for a graduate, who will guide and review their work.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with candidates about the work they have done, what they contributed and the tools they used.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Hiring an engineer for a regional or site-based role?

We start with engineers who already live, study or have family ties in your region, and we also talk with people planning a deliberate move there. Tell us the base town, the split between office and field, travel between sites, and whether the role is local, drive-in drive-out or fly-in fly-out, with the roster.

If the role comes with relocation help, housing or a vehicle, tell us early. We raise it with candidates in the first conversation, along with mentoring and the timing of a move. You can read more about how we recruit.

If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Building an engineering or technical career in the regions?

Register with Hire Australia and tell us your discipline, your experience and projects, and where you'd like to work. Experienced engineers, graduates, drafters and technical officers are all welcome. We'll talk with you about roles that fit.

Register

Guides to specific engineering and technical roles

Agronomists

Regional recruitment specialist for reseller, independent and research agronomists: accreditation and chemical training, pay and demand.

Civil engineers

Regional recruitment specialist for civil engineers, graduate to senior, with registration by state, award and market pay, and where demand is.

Drafters

Regional recruitment specialist for civil, mechanical, electrical and building drafters: licences by state, pay, demand and the software.

Electrical engineers

Regional recruitment specialist for electrical engineers, graduate to senior: registration and licensing by state, award and market pay, and demand.

Environmental scientists & engineers

Regional recruitment specialist for environmental scientists, consultants and engineers: accreditation by state, pay, demand and field work.

Geologists

Regional recruitment specialist for exploration, resource and mine geologists: JORC and professional standing, pay, demand by state and rosters.

Mechanical engineers

Regional recruitment specialist for mechanical engineers, graduate to lead: registration by state, award and market pay, demand and rosters.

Mining engineers

Regional recruitment specialist for mining engineers, open-cut and underground: statutory certificates by state, pay, demand and rosters.

Structural engineers

Regional recruitment specialist for structural engineers, graduate to senior: registration in every state, award and market pay, and demand.

Surveyors & spatial professionals

Regional recruitment specialist for land, engineering and mine surveyors and GIS staff: registration in each state, pay, demand and roles.

WHS & HSE advisers

Regional recruitment specialist for WHS and HSE advisers and safety managers: certifications, the law in each state, pay, demand and roles.

Talk to us about your next engineering hire

Tell us the discipline, the location and your start date.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

Discuss a roleRegister

A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

How long does it take to hire an engineer in a regional area?

It depends on the discipline, the level and the location. In the September quarter 2026, 51% of Australian employers recruiting professionals, and 60% of those recruiting technicians and trades workers, still had a vacancy unfilled after a month.2 Hire Australia plans each engineering search around your start date, so tell us the timing when you brief us.

Does a graduate engineer need to be an RPEQ in Queensland?

No. In Queensland, a graduate engineer can provide professional engineering services under the direct supervision of a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ), who directs and reviews the work and remains responsible for it.5 When Hire Australia briefs a graduate engineering role, we ask who the supervising RPEQ will be and share that with candidates, so they know the support they'll have.

What is the minimum salary for an engineer in Australia?

Under the Professional Employees Award 2020, the minimum for a full-time graduate engineer with a four- or five-year degree is $68,538 a year, and for a Level 2 experienced professional $78,836, from 1 July 2026.14 For comparison, civil engineering professionals' median full-time earnings were $2,217 a week in May 2025.15 Hire Australia discusses your salary range with candidates at the first conversation.

Do you recruit experienced engineers as well as graduates?

Yes. Hire Australia recruits engineers, drafters and technical officers for regional employers at every level, from graduates to senior engineers. Tell us the experience, registration and responsibilities the engineering role needs and we search for people who have done that work. We brief drafting and technical roles separately from engineering roles, because they call for different training.

Does Hire Australia supply engineering labour hire or contract staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits engineers, drafters and technical officers into permanent roles that you employ directly. We don’t supply labour hire, contractors or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your engineering vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia to hire an engineer?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same applies whether Hire Australia is recruiting a graduate engineer, a senior engineer, a drafter or a technical officer.

Can I register with project experience rather than a previous job?

Yes. Hire Australia welcomes graduate engineers, drafters and technical officers whose experience so far comes from university projects, placements, fieldwork or technical training. Register and tell us what you contributed, the tools you used and the regional engineering work you want to grow into, and we'll talk with you about roles that fit.

Sources (28)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List – 6 digit ANZSCO and OSCA. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey: September quarter 2026. Data: September quarter 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index: Internet Vacancies, ANZSCO2 Occupations, GCCSA and SA4 Regions - September 2026. September data released 21 October 2026. Data: September 2026. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland, Become a RPEQ. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. BPEQ, Practice note – Direct supervision. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. Engineers Australia, State registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. Engineers Australia, Accreditation. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. training.gov.au, MEM40422 Certificate IV in Engineering Drafting. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. training.gov.au, MEM50222 Diploma of Engineering – Technical. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. training.gov.au, UEE50420 Diploma of Electrical Engineering. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022 – Unit Group 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. training.gov.au, RII50520 Diploma of Civil Construction Design; RII60520 Advanced Diploma of Civil Construction Design. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  14. Fair Work Ombudsman, Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065]. Data: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  15. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile: ANZSCO 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  16. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022 – Unit Group 2335 Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  17. training.gov.au, MEM60122 Advanced Diploma of Engineering. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  18. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile: ANZSCO 2335 Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  19. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022 – Unit Group 2333 Electrical Engineers. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  20. Electrical Safety Office – WorkSafe Queensland, Classes of licences (electrical). Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  21. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile: ANZSCO 2333 Electrical Engineers. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  22. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022 – Unit Group 2336 Mining Engineers. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  23. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile: ANZSCO 2336 Mining Engineers. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  24. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022 – Unit Group 2339 Other Engineering Professionals. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  25. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO Occupation data, February 2026. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  26. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022 – Unit Group 3122 Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
  27. Fair Work Ombudsman, Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 [MA000010]. Data: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  28. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile: ANZSCO 3122 Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑