Gold Coast recruitment: professional, technical and trade staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help Gold Coast employers, from Coomera and Southport to Robina and Coolangatta, hire professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people.
Gold Coast at a glance
- of workers are in health care and social assistance
- 17%
- 65,400 of 384,700 employed people, four-quarter average to February 2026.1
- of workers are in construction
- 13%
- 48,200 people, the second-largest industry, four-quarter average to February 2026.1
- of recruiting employers had difficulty hiring
- 39%
- Gold Coast employers who were recruiting, year to August 2026, against 47% in the rest of Queensland.2
- unemployment rate, City of Gold Coast
- 3.3%
- Modelled estimate for the June quarter 2026.3
Who are the Gold Coast's biggest employers?
Health care and construction together employ more than 113,000 people on the Gold Coast, and five industries account for 58% of all jobs.1 Gold Coast Health alone runs three hospitals and more than 20 facilities.4 Builders, engineering firms and professional practices compete with the health system for the same qualified people.
Employed people in the five largest industries, Gold Coast employment region (Gold Coast SA4), four-quarter average to February 2026.1
| Industry | Employed people |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 65,400 |
| Construction | 48,200 |
| Retail trade | 39,600 |
| Accommodation and food services | 35,300 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 33,300 |
Which jobs are most advertised on the Gold Coast?
The Gold Coast averaged 5,473 online job ads a month in the three months to September 2026. Sales, clerical and care roles had the most, with trades and health close behind.5
Online job advertisements by occupation group, Gold Coast SA4, three-month average to September 2026.5
| Occupation group | Job ads a month |
|---|---|
| Sales assistants and salespersons | 417 |
| General-inquiry clerks, call-centre staff and receptionists | 380 |
| Carers and aides | 262 |
| Hospitality, retail and service managers | 248 |
| Automotive and engineering trades | 207 |
| Medical practitioners and nurses | 204 |
How hard is it to hire on the Gold Coast?
Half of the Gold Coast employers surveyed in the year to August 2026 were recruiting or had recruited in the past month. Of those, 39% had difficulty filling a role, below the 47% of recruiting employers in the rest of Queensland.2
The reasons stand out. Gold Coast employers most often blamed the working conditions or hours on offer, then applicants without enough experience, a lack of suitable applicants and applicants without the technical skills.2 So the hire usually turns on fit and on what the role offers. We ask about the hours, the site and the pay range at the start, and screen for the experience you need.
Where is the Gold Coast growing?
The city grew by 11,944 people in the year to June 2025, to 691,230.6 Much of that growth is in the northern corridor between Coomera and Pimpama, where new suburbs bring demand for builders, trades, schools, health services and the people who staff them.
Population at 30 June 2025 and growth over the year, selected Gold Coast areas (SA2).7
| Area | People, June 2025 | Added in the year |
|---|---|---|
| Hope Island | 18,253 | 744 (4.2%) |
| Pimpama (north) | 13,841 | 639 (4.8%) |
| Coomera | 24,313 | 611 (2.6%) |
| Surfers Paradise (south) | 17,410 | 628 (3.7%) |
| Palm Beach | 18,678 | 581 (3.2%) |
Which roles do we recruit on the Gold Coast?
Open a role type for demand, shortage, pay, local training and what to put in your brief. Shortage ratings are the 2026 national ratings; we count an occupation as in shortage when it is rated short nationally or in regional areas.
Trades and construction
Qualified carpenters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics and fabricators for builders, marine businesses, maintenance contractors and workshops.
- Demand
- Each month the Gold Coast averaged 207 online job ads for automotive and engineering trades, 97 for construction trades and 87 for electrotechnology and telecommunications trades, three-month average to September 2026.5
- Shortage
- Carpenters, electricians, plumbers and diesel motor mechanics are all rated in shortage nationally in 2026.8
- Pay (carpenters)
- Award minimum: $1,227.47 a week for a qualified carpenter (Level 3) on non-residential building work, under the Building and Construction General On-site Award where it covers the work, from 1 July 2026.9 Market median: $1,760 a week for full-time carpenters and joiners nationally, May 2025.10
- Local training
- TAFE Queensland's Ashmore trade training centre teaches automotive, carpentry, electrotechnology, engineering and plumbing,11 and its Coomera Marine campus sits minutes from the Gold Coast Marine Precinct.12
- What to put in your brief
- The trade, the licence and tickets the work needs, residential or commercial work, the sites, the pay range and the experience you expect.
Engineers and technical staff
Graduate and experienced civil, structural and mechanical engineers, drafters and technical officers for consultancies, builders and infrastructure teams.
- Demand
- Employers advertised for engineers 96 times a month and for engineering, ICT and science technicians 149 times a month, three-month average to September 2026.5
- Shortage
- Civil, electrical and mechanical engineers and civil engineering draftspersons are rated in shortage nationally in 2026.8
- Pay (graduate engineers)
- Award minimum: $34.57 an hour for a graduate with a four or five-year degree (level 1.1), where the Professional Employees Award covers the role, from 1 July 2026.13 Market median: $59 an hour for civil engineering professionals nationally, May 2025.14
- Supervision
- In Queensland, professional engineering work must be carried out by, or under the direct supervision of, a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ).15
- What to put in your brief
- The discipline, the experience level, the software you use and who will review a graduate's work.
Health, aged care and disability support
Registered nurses, allied health professionals, health administrators and managers, and support workers such as assistants in nursing and disability and aged-care support workers.
- Size of the sector
- Health care and social assistance is the Gold Coast's largest industry, with 65,400 workers.1
- Demand
- Each month the region averaged 262 online job ads for carers and aides, 204 for medical practitioners and nurses and 163 for health diagnostic and therapy professionals, three-month average to September 2026.5
- Shortage
- Aged-care registered nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and aged or disabled carers are all rated in shortage nationally in 2026.8
- Local training
- Griffith University's Gold Coast campus, its largest, sits beside Gold Coast University Hospital,16 and TAFE Queensland's Southport campus teaches nursing, allied health, aged care and community services.17
- What to put in your brief
- The qualification and registration the role needs, the shifts, the setting and who will supervise.
Business and professional services
Accountants, finance and HR staff, office managers and administrators, from graduates to experienced people, for professional practices and growing businesses.
- Size of the sector
- Professional, scientific and technical services employ 33,300 people on the Gold Coast, the fifth-largest industry.1
- Demand
- Each month the region averaged 163 online job ads for business, finance and HR professionals, 131 for numerical clerks and 113 for office managers, administrators and secretaries, three-month average to September 2026.5
- Pay (accountants)
- Award coverage depends on the duties and the employer, and some accounting roles are award free, so we agree the pay range with you before the search.
- What to put in your brief
- The systems you use, the experience level, who the person reports to and whether the role is in the office or hybrid.
Graduates on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast has its own university and TAFE campuses, so many graduates have studied, trained and done placements in the city. A graduate who already lives here is often looking for a reason to build a career locally rather than move to Brisbane. Tell us who will guide them in their first year, and we talk with graduates about that support and the work.
How we help you hire on the Gold Coast
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Travel, rosters and relocation
The Gold Coast's urban area runs south across the border to Tweed Heads, home to 761,634 people in all.18 Many employers draw staff from both sides of the border and from the hinterland, so tell us where the working day starts and whether the person will travel between sites.
If the role involves shifts, weekend work or travel to projects outside the city, give us the pattern and we build it into the search. If your preferred candidate is moving to the Gold Coast, we raise the practical side of the move early, including where they plan to live and any relocation support you offer.
If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for work on the Gold Coast?
Experienced professionals and tradespeople, recent Griffith and TAFE graduates and people moving to the Gold Coast can all register with Hire Australia. Tell us the work you want and where you can travel, and we'll talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next Gold Coast hire
Tell us about the role, where it's based and when you need someone 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.
What experience levels do you recruit for on the Gold Coast?
Hire Australia recruits professional, technical and trade staff for Gold Coast employers at every level, from graduates to experienced people. That covers qualified tradespeople, engineers and technical officers, accountants and office staff, and health professionals and support workers. Tell us the experience the role needs and we search for people who have it.
Is it hard to recruit staff on the Gold Coast?
It depends on the role and what it offers. In the year to August 2026, 39% of Gold Coast employers who were recruiting had difficulty filling a role, against 47% in the rest of Queensland. The most common reasons were the working conditions or hours, applicants' experience and a lack of suitable applicants.2 Hire Australia screens for the experience you need and talks about the hours early.
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. Briefing Hire Australia on a Gold Coast role costs nothing, and there is no upfront payment for the search.
Does Hire Australia have an office on the Gold Coast?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for employers across Queensland and regional Australia, including the Gold Coast, from Coomera to Coolangatta and the hinterland. Our search starts with people who live, study or work on the Gold Coast, along with candidates planning a move there.
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.
Can I register with Hire Australia if I'm planning to move to the Gold Coast?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us your skills, the work you want, when you could start and which part of the Gold Coast suits you. We'll talk with you about suitable Gold Coast roles and about the practical side of the move, such as where you plan to live.
Sources (18)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Region Industry profile: Gold Coast Employment Region. Published 15 April 2026. Data: February 2026, four-quarter average. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment trends and employers' needs: Regional Snapshot update, Queensland combined. Released 22 September 2026. Data: Year to August 2026, 267 responding employers, unweighted; small regional sample, interpret with caution. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, SALM Smoothed LGA Datafiles (ASGS 2025) - June quarter 2026. Data: June quarter 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Gold Coast Health, About us. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- 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 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year (Population estimates and components by LGA, 2024 to 2025). Released 31 March 2026. Data: 30 June 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year (Population estimates by SA2 and above, 2001 to 2025). Released 31 March 2026. Data: Year to 30 June 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 ratings, ANZSCO 2022 sheet. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide - Building and Construction General On-site Award [MA000020]. Published 2 July 2026. Data: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO Occupation data - February 2026. Data: May 2025, ABS Employee Earnings and Hours. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE Queensland, Ashmore campus (trade training centre). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE Queensland, Coomera Marine campus. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide - Professional Employees Award [MA000065]. Published 24 June 2026. Data: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile, ANZSCO 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals. Data: May 2025, ABS Employee Earnings and Hours (customised report), national median. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ), Practice note – Direct supervision. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Griffith University, Gold Coast campus. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE Queensland, Southport campus. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year (Population estimates by LGA, Significant Urban Area, Remoteness Area, CED and SED, 2001 to 2025). Released 31 March 2026. Data: 30 June 2025. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑