Townsville recruitment: professional, technical and trade staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help Townsville employers hire professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people, starting with people who live in North Queensland or want to build their career there.
Townsville at a glance
- of workers are in health care and social assistance
- 21%
- 25,200 of 120,100 employed people, four-quarter average to February 2026.3
- of recruiting employers had difficulty hiring
- 53%
- Townsville employers who were recruiting, year to August 2026, against 47% in the rest of Queensland.4
- unemployment rate, City of Townsville
- 4.6%
- Modelled estimate for the June quarter 2026.5
Who are Townsville's biggest employers?
Health care, education and public administration together employ more than 50,000 people in the region.3 Two sectors stand out. Hospitals employed 6,245 Townsville residents and Defence employed 5,266 in August 2021, the two largest detailed industries among the city's working residents.6 Townsville University Hospital is North Queensland's only tertiary hospital, with a referral catchment of almost 700,000 people.7 Private employers hiring professional, technical and trade staff compete with them for the same people.
Employed people in the five largest industries, Townsville employment region (Townsville SA4), four-quarter average to February 2026.3
| Industry | Employed people |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 25,200 |
| Education and training | 14,500 |
| Public administration and safety | 10,800 |
| Retail trade | 8,800 |
| Construction | 8,600 |
Which jobs are most advertised in Townsville?
Care, clerical, sales and trade roles had the most online job ads in the region.8
Online job advertisements by occupation group, Townsville SA4, three-month average to September 2026.8
| Occupation group | Job ads a month |
|---|---|
| Carers and aides | 152 |
| General-inquiry clerks, call-centre staff and receptionists | 149 |
| Sales assistants and salespersons | 149 |
| Automotive and engineering trades | 145 |
| Drivers and storepersons | 134 |
| Medical practitioners and nurses | 95 |
How hard is it to hire in Townsville?
Of the 111 Townsville employers who answered a national employer survey in the year to August 2026, 64% were recruiting or had recruited in the past month. Of those, 53% had difficulty filling a role, against 47% of recruiting employers in the rest of Queensland.4
The main reasons Townsville employers gave were a lack of suitable applicants, the regional location, working conditions or hours, and too few applicants.4 We start the search with people who have the skills and a reason to be in North Queensland.
Which roles do we recruit in Townsville?
Open a role type for demand, pay, training and what to put in your brief. Shortage ratings are the 2026 ratings; we count an occupation as in shortage when it is rated short nationally or in regional areas.
Trades and maintenance
Qualified electricians, mechanics, carpenters, plumbers and fabricators for construction, maintenance, automotive and engineering businesses.
- Demand
- Automotive and engineering trades averaged 145 online job ads a month in the region, three-month average to September 2026.8
- Shortage
- Electricians, diesel motor mechanics, carpenters and plumbers are all rated in shortage nationally in 2026.9
- Pay (electricians)
- Under the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award, a licensed electrician at Electrical worker grade 5 earns at least $1,223.11 a week from 1 July 2026, including industry, tool and licence allowances.10 Full-time electricians nationally earned a median $2,191 a week in May 2025.11
- Local training
- TAFE Queensland's Bohle Trade Training Centre teaches automotive, construction, electrotechnology, engineering, plumbing and refrigeration.12
- What to put in your brief
- The trade, the licence and tickets the work needs, the equipment, the roster, the pay range and the experience you expect.
- How we help
- We talk with candidates about their licences, tickets and the work they have done, then introduce the people who best match your brief.
Engineers and technical staff
Graduate and experienced engineers, drafters and technical officers for construction, infrastructure and maintenance teams.
- Demand
- Employers in the region advertised for engineers 51 times a month and for engineering, ICT and science technicians 63 times a month, three-month average to September 2026.8
- Shortage
- Civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, civil engineering draftspersons and electrical engineering technicians are all rated in shortage nationally in 2026.9
- Pay
- Under the Professional Employees Award, a graduate engineer with a four or five-year degree (level 1.1) earns at least $34.57 an hour from 1 July 2026.13 Civil engineering professionals nationally earned a median $59 an hour in May 2025.14
- Local study
- James Cook University's Bebegu Yumba campus in Douglas includes engineering facilities.15
- Supervision
- In Queensland, professional engineering work must be carried out by, or under the direct supervision of, a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ).16
- What to put in your brief
- The discipline, the experience level, the outputs you need, the software you use and, for a graduate, who will review their work.
Business, finance and administration
Accountants, administration officers and office managers, from graduates to experienced staff, for professional practices and service organisations.
- Demand
- Business, finance and HR professionals averaged 52 online job ads a month in the region, numerical clerks 37 and office managers, administrators and secretaries 36, three-month average to September 2026.8
- Local training
- TAFE Queensland's Pimlico campus teaches business and digital skills.17
- What to put in your brief
- The systems you use, the experience level and who the person reports to.
- How we help
- We find people with relevant study or experience and talk with them about the work, the hours and their plans in Townsville.
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 employs 25,200 people in the Townsville region, about one in five workers, and 61% of them work full-time.3
- Demand
- Each month the region averaged 95 online job ads for medical practitioners and nurses, 85 for health diagnostic and therapy professionals and 152 for carers and aides, three-month average to September 2026.8
- Shortage
- Aged-care registered nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and aged or disabled carers are all rated in shortage nationally in 2026.9
- Local training
- TAFE Queensland's Pimlico campus teaches community services and health.17
- What to put in your brief
- The qualification and registration the role needs, the shifts and who will supervise.
- How we help
- We talk with candidates about their registration, the shifts they can work and their experience, then introduce the people who best match your brief.
Hiring graduates in Townsville
A graduate learns your work, your clients and your standards from the start and grows into the role with your team. Graduates from the city's university and TAFE campuses studied in Townsville. Tell us who will guide them in their first year, and we talk with graduates about that support and their plans in North Queensland.
How we help you hire in Townsville
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Travel, rosters and relocation
Many Townsville employers serve a wide district. Charters Towers is about 134 kilometres inland,18 and the region also takes in the Burdekin (Ayr and Home Hill, 17,220 people)1 and Hinchinbrook (Ingham, 11,194).1
Tell us where the working day starts, how often the person travels, the vehicle arrangements and any overnight stays. We discuss them with candidates during screening. For fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out work, give us the roster and departure point and we build them into the search.
If your preferred candidate is moving to Townsville, 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 in Townsville?
Experienced professionals and tradespeople, recent JCU and TAFE graduates and people moving to North Queensland 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 Townsville 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 in Townsville?
Hire Australia recruits professional, technical and trade staff for Townsville 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 in Townsville?
Often, yes. In the year to August 2026, 53% of Townsville employers who were recruiting had difficulty filling a role, against 47% in the rest of Queensland. The main reasons included a lack of suitable applicants, the regional location, working conditions or hours, and too few applicants.4 Hire Australia searches for people with the right skills and a connection to North Queensland.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia for a Townsville role?
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 Townsville role costs nothing, and there is no upfront payment for the search.
Does Hire Australia have an office in Townsville?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for employers across regional Australia, including Townsville, Charters Towers, the Burdekin and Hinchinbrook. Our search starts with people who live, study or train in North Queensland, along with candidates planning a move there.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff in Townsville?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire, temps or contractors to Townsville employers, 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 from day one.
Can I register with Hire Australia if I'm planning to move to Townsville?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us your skills, the work you want, when you could start and where in North Queensland you'd like to work. We'll talk with you about suitable Townsville roles and about the practical side of the move, such as where you plan to live.
Sources (18)
- 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 29 October 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: 30 June 2025. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Region Industry profile: Townsville 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, 111 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 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census All persons QuickStats: Townsville. Data: Census night, 10 August 2021. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Townsville Hospital and Health Service, 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 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List - 6 digit ANZSCO and OSCA. Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 OSL. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide - Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award [MA000025]. Published 7 August 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 3411 Electricians. Data: May 2025, ABS Employee Earnings and Hours (customised report), national median for full-time employees. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE Queensland, Townsville Trade Training Centre (Bohle). Campus information. Accessed 28 October 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 ↑
- James Cook University, Townsville (Bebegu Yumba) campus. Campus information. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ), Practice note – Direct supervision. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE Queensland, Townsville (Pimlico) campus. Campus information. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Tourism and Events Queensland, Charters Towers guide. Distance from Townsville. Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑