Queensland is now advertising more civil engineering jobs than any other state, recording 674 vacancies in August, almost 30 per cent more than a year ago and ahead of NSW (639) and Victoria (369), Brisbane Times reported on Sunday (8 November).

The figures come from the federal government's monthly Internet Vacancy Index, collated by Jobs and Skills Australia. Those jobs were in more than 20 fields, including geotechnical, rail, structural, transport and water engineering, the newspaper reported, as preparations ramp up for the Brisbane 2032 Games.

Engineers Australia chief engineer Katherine Richards told Brisbane Times 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.

"To meet that demand, we need to promote the many pathways into engineering and make the profession accessible to more people," Richards said. Nearly 70,000 engineers were expected to retire over the next 15 years, she said, which would add to workforce pressures but also create opportunities for those entering the profession.

Major Projects Pipeline

The 2026 Queensland Major Projects Pipeline Report, released on 4 November by the Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA) in partnership with Cbus Super, identifies $139.5 billion in major project activity over the next five years, up from $127.5 billion in 2025, with $82.5 billion of work already funded. Total pipeline activity is forecast to peak at around $35 billion annually in 2028-29 and 2029-30.

The pipeline includes 371 individual projects, with electricity projects accounting for the largest share of average labour demand and transport projects the second-largest, Industry Queensland reported. Olympic Games-related projects are estimated to account for 14 to 19 per cent of average labour demand over the five-year period.

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. The association says industry output increased to approximately $11 billion in the last financial year, up from $9.5 billion in FY2025, with productivity trending upwards over the past 18 months.

Workforce Demand

The report forecasts workforce demand across the identified major projects will approach 40,000 workers in 2028-29, including approximately 25,000 workers required for funded projects alone. Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are expected to account for more than 40 per cent of the funded project workforce demand.

"Having the investment committed is only part of the equation. Our focus must now be on ensuring we have the capacity, capability and productivity to turn that investment into completed infrastructure," Chapman said. "We cannot expect to deliver this volume of work by continuing to do things the same way."

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 told Brisbane Times.

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 report is due within weeks, Brisbane Times reported.