Regional Queensland
Regional recruitment specialist for Queensland employers, from Cairns to Toowoomba and Mount Isa. See how hard each region is to hire in, and how we help.
Structural engineer recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help consultancies, builders, fabricators, councils and resource companies across Australia hire structural engineers, from graduates who need a registered engineer to review their designs to senior engineers who sign them off. Each search is built around the registration your state requires for structural work.
Structural engineering hiring at a glance
Structural engineers are among the engineering specialists rated in shortage with clear evidence. Registration is now required for structural work in more places than ever.
- national rating for Structural Engineer in 2026
- Shortage
- Rated with "clear" confidence. In shortage means rated S or R.1
- people worked as structural engineers in August 2021
- 9,000
- About one in four of the 38,400 civil and structural engineers combined.2
- states and territories register engineers for structural or building work
- 7 of 8
- Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT and Western Australia name structural work; Tasmania and the Northern Territory register for building work. South Australia has no scheme.3,4
- median full-time weekly earnings, civil engineering professionals
- $2,217
- May 2025, the group that includes structural engineers.2
What does a structural engineer do, and which qualification do they hold?
Structural engineers analyse how structures carry load, test how the materials in them behave over time, and design and supervise the construction of every kind of structure.2 In regional markets that covers houses and apartments, sheds and industrial buildings, bridges and culverts, and plant structures on mine and processing sites.
Most hold a civil or structural engineering degree accredited by Engineers Australia.5 A structural engineer's design is a professional engineering service, which is why registration matters more for this discipline than almost any other: in Queensland the work must be done or directly supervised by an RPEQ.6
Which registration does a structural engineer need in each state?
The rules differ most for building work, where structural design is now registered almost everywhere.
Professional engineer registration for structural engineering work, by state and territory, as published by each regulator on 1 November 2026.
| State or territory | Registration for structural work | Exceptions and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Queensland | RPEQ for professional engineering services, including structural design6 | An unregistered engineer may work under an RPEQ's direct supervision7 |
| Victoria | Registered professional engineer: structural is a prescribed area3 | Mandatory for professional structural engineering services in or for Victoria, except under a registered professional engineer's direct supervision or done only to a prescriptive standard |
| New South Wales | Registered professional engineer (structural) for class 2, 3 or 9c buildings; a registered design practitioner declares regulated designs8 | Direct supervision by a registered engineer allowed |
| Australian Capital Territory | Registered professional engineer: structural is a prescribed area9 | In force since 6 March 2025 |
| Western Australia | Registered building engineer (structural) for building engineering work10 | Open since 1 July 2024, the first area phased in; mandatory from 1 July 2027 |
| Tasmania | Building provider licence as an engineer (civil), which covers civil, structural, geotechnical and environmental engineering, for building-design work within the holder's competence11 | Applies where the structure is building work |
| Northern Territory | Building Practitioners Board registration for certifying engineers in three categories: structural, mechanical and hydraulic12 | The structural category applies to building certification |
| South Australia | No registration required to practise4 | None |
What does a structural engineer earn?
The Professional Employees Award 2020 sets the floor where it covers the role. From 1 July 2026 a full-time graduate with a four- or five-year degree earns at least $68,538 a year ($34.57 an hour). The award's senior levels, which suit a structural engineer who works independently or leads others, start at $86,157 (Level 3) and $97,173 (Level 4).13 Black coal mining employees and some council staff are covered by other awards.13
No national median is published for structural engineers alone. The wider civil engineering professionals group, which includes them, had median full-time earnings of $2,217 a week, or $59 an hour, in May 2025.2 We talk with you about where your offer sits against that and against local competitors.
Where are structural engineers in demand?
Structural engineers are concentrated in the eastern states, where most of the registered building work happens. Job ads are only published for the wider civil engineering group: 2,473 a month in the three months to September 2026, with 21% of located ads in regional areas.14,15
Share of structural engineers living in each state (August 2021) and online job ads for the civil engineering professionals group, which includes structural engineers (three-month average to September 2026).2,14
Which structural roles do we recruit?
Open a role for its registration notes and what to put in your brief.
Building structures
Engineers designing houses, apartments, commercial and industrial buildings.
- What the role does
- Designs and supervises building structures and tests the durability of their materials.2
- Registration
- In NSW, structural work on class 2, 3 or 9c buildings needs a registered professional engineer.8
- Shortage
- Structural Engineer is rated in shortage for 2026.1
- What to tell us
- The building classes you design, the materials (timber, steel, concrete, masonry), the software, and who certifies the design.
Bridges and civil structures
Engineers for bridges, culverts, retaining walls and water structures.
- What the role does
- Civil engineering professionals analyse the statical properties of structures and design foundations for them.2
- Registration
- Victoria treats structural engineering as its own prescribed area, separate from civil.3
- Pay
- Group median: $2,217 a week, May 2025.2
- What to tell us
- Asset owner or consultant, inspection and assessment or new design, the design standards, and how much travel the bridge network involves.
Industrial and resources structures
Engineers for plant structures, conveyors, sheds and steelwork on mine and processing sites.
- What the role does
- Designs and supervises the construction of structures of all kinds, including industrial steelwork.2
- Award coverage
- Black coal mining employees are covered by their own award, not the Professional Employees Award.13
- Registration
- In Queensland, structural design for a mine or plant is still a professional engineering service that needs an RPEQ.6
- What to tell us
- Shutdown and brownfield work, site access and roster, the analysis software, and whether the role is office based with site visits.
What to tell us about your structural engineering role
Start with who signs the work off. Tell us whether the engineer will certify designs, prepare them for a registered engineer to review, or inspect and assess existing structures. That one answer sets the registration and experience the search needs.
Then the detail candidates ask about first: the structure types and materials, the analysis and drafting software, whether you have drafters in the team, and the split between design office and site inspections.
How we help you hire a structural engineer
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Moving a structural engineer to a regional role
Structural engineers often weigh a regional move against the variety of work and the mentoring on offer. We look first for engineers who already live in your region or have family there, then for people planning a move for lifestyle or career reasons.
An engineer registered in one state may need to register in yours before certifying work, so tell us the start date and whether the role certifies from day one. Relocation support, housing and flexible office days are worth raising early.
If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Are you a structural engineer interested in regional work?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us the structures you have designed, your registration, your software and where you would like to live. We welcome graduate and experienced structural engineers and will talk with you about roles that suit.
Talk to us about your next structural engineering hire
Tell us the role, the location and when you need the engineer to start.
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Which states require a structural engineer to be registered?
Queensland, Victoria and the ACT require registration for professional structural engineering work; NSW requires it for work on class 2, 3 and 9c buildings; and Western Australia makes it mandatory for structural building engineers from 1 July 2027.3,6,8,9,10 Hire Australia asks every candidate where they are registered.
Can a graduate structural engineer design without being registered?
A graduate can carry out structural design under the direct supervision of a registered engineer in Queensland, NSW and the ACT, where the supervising engineer directs and reviews the work and remains responsible.7,8,9 Hire Australia asks who will review a graduate's designs and tells candidates at the first conversation.
What do structural engineers earn in Australia?
Where the Professional Employees Award 2020 applies, the minimum for a graduate with a four- or five-year degree is $34.57 an hour from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.13 The civil engineering professionals group, which includes structural engineers, had a national median of $59 an hour in May 2025.2 Hire Australia discusses your salary range with you before searching.
Is it hard to find a structural engineer for a regional office?
Structural Engineer is rated in shortage for 2026 with clear confidence,1 and most structural engineers live in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.2 Hire Australia starts with engineers who have ties to your region and talks early with people planning a move, so allow time for registration if they come from interstate.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia?
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. That applies to every structural engineering search Hire Australia runs, from graduate to senior.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.
Sources (15)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (OSCA 2024 and ANZSCO 2022 sheets). National ratings. "In shortage" means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (occupation descriptions, earnings, employment and state tables). Median full-time earnings: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national, non-managerial adult employees. Employment and state shares: February 2026 trend. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Who needs to be registered? (professional engineers). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Engineers Australia, State registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Engineers Australia, Accreditation. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland, Become a RPEQ. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- BPEQ, Practice note – Direct supervision. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government, Professional engineer work: qualifications and experience. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- ACT Government, City and Environment Directorate, Professional engineers registration scheme. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Government of Western Australia, Building and Energy, Building engineering registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Building Standards Tasmania, Engineer (building provider licence). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Building Practitioners Board, Northern Territory, Practitioners: scope of works. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065], clause 14.1 minimum rates. Rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; coverage in clause 4 (excludes, among others, the Black Coal Mining Industry Award and some local government). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑