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Job market report

Townsville job market report

Online job ads, unemployment, industries and pay in Townsville, Queensland, from Jobs and Skills Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Every figure is numbered and sourced.

Latest data
JSA September 2026; ABS 2023 to 2025 and the 2021 Census
Updated
24 October 2026
Area
ABS SA4 318 Townsville
Sources
JSA, ABS and ViewJobs

Key findings

  1. Growing: online job ads in Townsville were up 3.8% on a year earlier, from 2,268 to 2,354 a month in the three months to September 2026.

    Over the same year, ads were up 0.1% across Queensland and up 0.6% across Australia.[1][2]

    Section 1: Job ads and demand →

  2. Carers and aides had the most online ads, 152 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by general-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists (149) and sales assistants and salespersons (149).

    Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for numerical clerks rose fastest, up 48.0%.[1]

    Section 2: Which jobs are in demand →

  3. Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, mining grew fastest, with 47% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019, followed by information media and telecommunications (42% more).

    Agriculture, forestry and fishing had 6% fewer employee jobs than in 2019.[3]

    Section 4: Industries growing and shrinking →

  4. 5.0% of the labour force in Townsville was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.4% across Queensland.

    It was 8.7% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 61.8%, against 61.6% across Queensland. The Census runs every five years, so these are not current rates.[3]

    Section 3: Unemployment and participation →

1 Job ads and demand

Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index is a monthly count of online job ads, compiled from SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia. Regional figures are three-month averages. It is not a count of ViewJobs' own ads.

Townsville
+3.8%
2,354 ads a month[1]
Queensland
+0.1%
the sum of its areas[1][2]
Australia
+0.6%
the sum of every area[1][2]

Change in online job ads, the three months to September 2026 against a year earlier.

Figure 1.1: Online job ads a month, TownsvilleThree-month average, October 2023 to September 2026.
2k2.2k2.4k2.6k2.8kJan 2024Sep 2024May 2025Jan 2026Sep 2026TownsvilleTownsville, Sep 2026: 2,3542,354

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Online job ads a month, Townsville
MonthOnline job ads a month
October 20232,741
November 20232,635
December 20232,328
January 20242,228
February 20242,154
March 20242,354
April 20242,301
May 20242,333
June 20242,278
July 20242,323
August 20242,322
September 20242,384
October 20242,458
November 20242,423
December 20242,181
January 20252,114
February 20252,002
March 20252,230
April 20252,141
May 20252,204
June 20252,166
July 20252,217
August 20252,211
September 20252,268
October 20252,333
November 20252,322
December 20252,134
January 20262,126
February 20262,114
March 20262,289
April 20262,140
May 20262,118
June 20262,059
July 20262,181
August 20262,274
September 20262,354

2 Which jobs are in demand

Online job ads by occupation group (ANZSCO sub-major groups), the three months to September 2026 against a year earlier.

Figure 2.1: Change in online job ads by occupation, TownsvilleThe 12 occupation groups with the most ads, fastest-rising first. Groups with fewer than 5 ads a month now or a year earlier are left out; the table lists all 48.
Mobile plant operators: +42.9%Mobile plant operators+42.9%Machine and stationary plant operators: +34.7%Machine and stationary plant operators+34.7%Drivers and storepersons: +26.4%Drivers and storepersons+26.4%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals: +19.7%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals+19.7%Automotive and engineering trades: +13.3%Automotive and engineering trades+13.3%Medical practitioners and nurses: +3.3%Medical practitioners and nurses+3.3%Sales assistants and salespersons: +2.8%Sales assistants and salespersons+2.8%Other labourers: +1.1%Other labourers+1.1%Carers and aides: −1.9%Carers and aides−1.9%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists: −6.9%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists−6.9%Hospitality, retail and service managers: −8.0%Hospitality, retail and service managers−8.0%Legal, social and welfare professionals: −12.6%Legal, social and welfare professionals−12.6%

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Change in online job ads by occupation, Townsville
Occupation groupAds a month, September 2026A year earlierChange
Carers and aides152155−1.9%
General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists149160−6.9%
Sales assistants and salespersons149145+2.8%
Automotive and engineering trades145128+13.3%
Drivers and storepersons134106+26.4%
Medical practitioners and nurses9592+3.3%
Other labourers9392+1.1%
Legal, social and welfare professionals90103−12.6%
Health diagnostic and therapy professionals8571+19.7%
Hospitality, retail and service managers8188−8.0%
Mobile plant operators7049+42.9%
Machine and stationary plant operators6649+34.7%
Education professionals6566−1.5%
Engineering, ICT and science technicians6356+12.5%
Corporate managers61610.0%
Cleaners and laundry workers5848+20.8%
Construction, production and distribution managers5538+44.7%
Business, finance and human resource professionals5249+6.1%
Food trades5255−5.5%
Engineers5136+41.7%
Construction trades49490.0%
Electrotechnology and telecommunications trades4555−18.2%
Health and welfare support workers4250−16.0%
Other clerical and administrative workers41410.0%
Sales representatives and agents4143−4.7%
Numerical clerks3725+48.0%
Office managers, administrators and secretaries3628+28.6%
Hospitality workers28280.0%
Construction and mining labourers2734−20.6%
Sports, travel and personal service workers2623+13.0%
Transport and design professionals, and architects2118+16.7%
Skilled animal and horticultural workers2019+5.3%
Science professionals and veterinarians1924−20.8%
Health, education, ICT and other managers1732−46.9%
Hairdressers, printing, clothing and wood trades1718−5.6%
Sales support workers1713+30.8%
Factory process workers1419−26.3%
Information professionals139+44.4%
Protective service workers13130.0%
Jewellers, arts and other trades workers1115−26.7%
Sales, marketing & public relations professionals1013−23.1%
Food preparation assistants109+11.1%
Clerical and office support workers, couriers97+28.6%
Farm, forestry and garden workers912−25.0%
ICT professionals814−42.9%
Arts and media professionals75+40.0%
Chief executives, managing directors & legislators56−16.7%
Farmers and farm managersfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a

3 Unemployment and participation

Unemployment and labour force participation at each Census, from the ABS. These are the rates at the Census named, not current rates.

Figure 3.1: Unemployment rate, TownsvilleShare of the labour force unemployed at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Queensland.
  • Townsville
  • Queensland
5%6%7%8%9%201120162021TownsvilleTownsville, 2011: 5.1%Townsville, 2016: 8.7%Townsville, 2021: 5.0%5.0%QueenslandQueensland, 2011: 6.1%Queensland, 2016: 7.6%Queensland, 2021: 5.4%5.4%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Unemployment rate, Townsville
CensusTownsvilleQueensland
2011 Census5.1%6.1%
2016 Census8.7%7.6%
2021 Census5.0%5.4%
Figure 3.2: Labour force participation, TownsvilleShare of people aged 15 and over in the labour force at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Queensland.
  • Townsville
  • Queensland
61%62%63%64%65%201120162021TownsvilleTownsville, 2011: 65.0%Townsville, 2016: 62.1%Townsville, 2021: 61.8%61.8%QueenslandQueensland, 2011: 62.8%Queensland, 2016: 61.0%Queensland, 2021: 61.6%61.6%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Labour force participation, Townsville
CensusTownsvilleQueensland
2011 Census65.0%62.8%
2016 Census62.1%61.0%
2021 Census61.8%61.6%

Note: This report takes unemployment from the Census. The ABS's monthly Labour Force estimates by region are not included yet.

4 Industries growing and shrinking

Employee jobs by industry (ANZSIC division) in the year to 30 June, from the ABS. Change is measured from 2019: the ABS figures for 2018 and 2019 differ sharply for some industries in some areas. Shrinking means fewer employee jobs in the ABS count.

Figure 4.1: Change in employee jobs by industry, Townsville, 2019 to 2023Industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs in 2023, fastest-growing first.
Mining: +46.7%Mining+46.7%Information media and telecommunications: +41.6%Information media and telecommunications+41.6%Accommodation and food services: +36.8%Accommodation and food services+36.8%Arts and recreation services: +32.0%Arts and recreation services+32.0%Health care and social assistance: +27.4%Health care and social assistance+27.4%Professional, scientific and technical services: +25.2%Professional, scientific and technical services+25.2%Rental, hiring and real estate services: +22.0%Rental, hiring and real estate services+22.0%Retail trade: +21.0%Retail trade+21.0%Transport, postal and warehousing: +12.3%Transport, postal and warehousing+12.3%Other services: +11.7%Other services+11.7%Wholesale trade: +10.7%Wholesale trade+10.7%Education and training: +9.3%Education and training+9.3%Electricity, gas, water and waste services: +8.3%Electricity, gas, water and waste services+8.3%Financial and insurance services: +7.4%Financial and insurance services+7.4%Manufacturing: +6.4%Manufacturing+6.4%Construction: +4.0%Construction+4.0%Public administration and safety: −2.8%Public administration and safety−2.8%Administrative and support services: −3.1%Administrative and support services−3.1%Agriculture, forestry and fishing: −6.0%Agriculture, forestry and fishing−6.0%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Change in employee jobs by industry, Townsville, 2019 to 2023
Industry20192023Change
Health care and social assistance24,35231,035+27.4%
Retail trade16,52119,991+21.0%
Accommodation and food services14,59819,973+36.8%
Public administration and safety18,02817,532−2.8%
Education and training14,67616,042+9.3%
Construction14,19214,759+4.0%
Administrative and support services13,53913,120−3.1%
Manufacturing9,84810,475+6.4%
Professional, scientific and technical services7,9469,946+25.2%
Other services7,0657,891+11.7%
Transport, postal and warehousing6,1936,952+12.3%
Mining4,2936,298+46.7%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing6,0545,692−6.0%
Wholesale trade4,6525,151+10.7%
Financial and insurance services4,3524,672+7.4%
Rental, hiring and real estate services3,1923,894+22.0%
Arts and recreation services2,8513,764+32.0%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services1,9892,154+8.3%
Information media and telecommunications1,1441,620+41.6%
Figure 4.2: Largest industries by employee jobs, Townsville, 2023202,334 employee jobs across all industries in the year to 30 June 2023.
Health care and social assistance: 31,035Health care and social assistance31,035Retail trade: 19,991Retail trade19,991Accommodation and food services: 19,973Accommodation and food services19,973Public administration and safety: 17,532Public administration and safety17,532Education and training: 16,042Education and training16,042Construction: 14,759Construction14,759Administrative and support services: 13,120Administrative and support services13,120Manufacturing: 10,475Manufacturing10,475

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Largest industries by employee jobs, Townsville, 2023
IndustryEmployee jobsShare of all employee jobs
Health care and social assistance31,03515%
Retail trade19,99110%
Accommodation and food services19,97310%
Public administration and safety17,5329%
Education and training16,0428%
Construction14,7597%
Administrative and support services13,1206%
Manufacturing10,4755%
Professional, scientific and technical services9,9465%
Other services7,8914%
Transport, postal and warehousing6,9523%
Mining6,2983%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing5,6923%
Wholesale trade5,1513%
Financial and insurance services4,6722%
Rental, hiring and real estate services3,8942%
Arts and recreation services3,7642%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services2,1541%
Information media and telecommunications1,6201%
All industries202,334100%

5 Pay

Employee income per person with wage or salary income, before tax, including part-time and part-year workers, from the ABS. The median is the middle earner; the mean (average) is pulled up by high earners.

Figure 5.1: Median employee income, TownsvilleIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Queensland and Australia.
  • Townsville
  • Queensland
  • Australia
$50k$55k$60k$65k20192020202120222023TownsvilleTownsville, 2019: $53,761Townsville, 2020: $55,547Townsville, 2021: $57,478Townsville, 2022: $59,587Townsville, 2023: $62,538$62,538QueenslandQueensland, 2019: $50,776Queensland, 2020: $52,137Queensland, 2021: $54,414Queensland, 2022: $56,569Queensland, 2023: $59,751$59,751AustraliaAustralia, 2019: $52,256Australia, 2020: $53,878Australia, 2021: $56,485Australia, 2022: $58,260Australia, 2023: $61,966$61,966

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Median employee income, Townsville
YearTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
2019$53,761$50,776$52,256
2020$55,547$52,137$53,878
2021$57,478$54,414$56,485
2022$59,587$56,569$58,260
2023$62,538$59,751$61,966
Figure 5.2: Mean employee income, TownsvilleIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Queensland and Australia.
  • Townsville
  • Queensland
  • Australia
$60k$65k$70k$75k20192020202120222023TownsvilleTownsville, 2019: $60,215Townsville, 2020: $62,291Townsville, 2021: $64,213Townsville, 2022: $66,342Townsville, 2023: $69,699$69,699QueenslandQueensland, 2019: $60,307Queensland, 2020: $62,160Queensland, 2021: $64,570Queensland, 2022: $67,160Queensland, 2023: $70,571$70,571AustraliaAustralia, 2019: $63,517Australia, 2020: $65,591Australia, 2021: $68,452Australia, 2022: $70,950Australia, 2023: $74,579$74,579

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Mean employee income, Townsville
YearTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
2019$60,215$60,307$63,517
2020$62,291$62,160$65,591
2021$64,213$64,570$68,452
2022$66,342$67,160$70,950
2023$69,699$70,571$74,579

6 People

Estimated resident population and the working-age population (15 to 64), from the ABS.

People living in the area
249,097
ABS, 2025 · up 5.3% since 2020[3]
Working-age population, 15 to 64
160,951
ABS, 2024 · up 3.8% since 2020[3]

Queensland's population was up 9.8% from 2020 to 2025, and Townsville's up 5.3%.[3]

7 Businesses

Counts of businesses by how many people they employ, from the ABS.

Businesses in the area
17,694
ABS, 2025 · up 7.0% since 2021[3]
Figure 7.1: Businesses by number of employees, Townsville, 2025Businesses by how many people they employ. The table adds each size's count in 2021 and the change.
No employees: 10,276No employees10,2761–4 employees: 4,6911–4 employees4,6915–19 employees: 2,1255–19 employees2,12520 or more employees: 60220 or more employees602

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Businesses by number of employees, Townsville, 2025
Size20212025Change
No employees9,22510,276+11.4%
1–4 employees4,7624,691−1.5%
5–19 employees2,0582,125+3.3%
20 or more employees496602+21.4%

8 Jobs on ViewJobs now

Live job ads on ViewJobs in Townsville, a ViewJobs region whose towns all sit in this ABS area.

Live jobs on ViewJobs in Townsville
816
ViewJobs, 25 Oct 2026[4]
Figure 8.1: Live jobs on ViewJobs by classification, TownsvilleThe 8 classifications with the most live ads, as of 25 Oct 2026.
Retail & Consumer Products: 106Retail & Consumer Products106Community Services & Development: 93Community Services & Development93Hospitality & Tourism: 87Hospitality & Tourism87Healthcare & Medical: 76Healthcare & Medical76Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics: 71Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics71Trades & Services: 60Trades & Services60Engineering: 46Engineering46Education & Training: 41Education & Training41

Source: ViewJobs live ads[4].

Show the numbers
Live jobs on ViewJobs by classification, Townsville
ClassificationLive jobs
Retail & Consumer Products106
Community Services & Development93
Hospitality & Tourism87
Healthcare & Medical76
Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics71
Trades & Services60
Engineering46
Education & Training41

Browse jobs by region

9 Quick answers

Short answers to the questions people ask about Townsville's job market, each with its period and source.

How many jobs are advertised in Townsville?

2,354 online job ads a month were placed in Townsville, on average, in the three months to September 2026.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Is Townsville's job market growing or shrinking?

Growing: online job ads in Townsville were up 3.8% on a year earlier, from 2,268 to 2,354 a month in the three months to September 2026. Over the same year, ads were up 0.1% across Queensland and up 0.6% across Australia.

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; ViewJobs analysis[2].

Which jobs are most in demand in Townsville?

Carers and aides had the most online ads, 152 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by general-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists (149) and sales assistants and salespersons (149). Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for numerical clerks rose fastest, up 48.0%.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

What is the unemployment rate in Townsville?

5.0% of the labour force in Townsville was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.4% across Queensland. It was 8.7% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 61.8%, against 61.6% across Queensland. The Census runs every five years, so these are not current rates.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

What is the average wage in Townsville?

Average (mean) employee income in Townsville was $69,699 in 2023; the median was $62,538, against $59,751 across Queensland and $61,966 across Australia.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries employ the most people in Townsville?

Health care and social assistance had the most employee jobs in Townsville: 31,035 in 2023, 15% of the 202,334 employee jobs. Next were retail trade (19,991) and accommodation and food services (19,973).

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries are growing or shrinking in Townsville?

Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, mining grew fastest, with 47% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019, followed by information media and telecommunications (42% more). Agriculture, forestry and fishing had 6% fewer employee jobs than in 2019.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Is Townsville's population growing?

249,097 people lived in Townsville in 2025, up 5.3% since 2020. Queensland's population was up 9.8% over the same years. The working-age population was 160,951 in 2024, up 3.8% since 2020.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

How many jobs are on ViewJobs in Townsville?

At least 816 jobs are live on ViewJobs in Townsville, as of 25 Oct 2026. They are the ads in the ViewJobs region of the same name, whose towns all sit in the area. The most advertised are Retail & Consumer Products (106), Community Services & Development (93) and Hospitality & Tourism (87).

Source: ViewJobs live ads[4].

10 Notes and method

What the figures count, where they come from, and the rules this report applies to them.

The area
Townsville here is ABS SA4 318 Townsville. The reports cover 50 areas, 42 regional ABS regions and the eight capital cities: the areas Jobs and Skills Australia publishes online job ads for.
Online job ads
Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index is a monthly count of online job ads, compiled from SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia. Regional figures are three-month averages. It is not a count of ViewJobs' own ads. It counts ads, not jobs filled, by occupation and area.
State and national ads
This report reads the index's series by area, so a state or national figure here is the sum of its areas, marked as ViewJobs analysis. It can differ from the state and national totals Jobs and Skills Australia publishes separately.[2]
Small numbers
A figure under 5 ads a month is shown as "fewer than 5". A group with fewer than 5 ads a month, now or a year earlier, is left out of every change, and every ranking by change.
ABS figures
The latest ABS income and jobs figures here are for the year to 30 June 2023; population and business counts are more recent. Every figure shows its year. Change is measured from 2019: the ABS figures for 2018 and 2019 differ sharply for some industries in some areas. Industries with fewer than 1,000 employee jobs are listed but not ranked.
Unemployment
This report takes unemployment from the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses: each figure is the rate at the Census named, not a current rate. The ABS's monthly Labour Force estimates by region are not included yet.
Jobs on ViewJobs
ViewJobs regions do not follow ABS boundaries. Section 8 counts the ads open on ViewJobs on 25 Oct 2026 in each ViewJobs region with at least 20% of its towns in this area, and counts each region whole: a region that reaches beyond the area can include ads from outside it, and a region with fewer of its towns here is left out. A classification links to its own page once it has enough ads for one.

11 References

Every figure on this page points at one of these entries.

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-10/internet_vacancies_anzsco2_occupations_gccsa_and_sa4_regions_-_september_2026.xlsx. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 24 October 2026.
  2. ViewJobs, ViewJobs analysis of the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/data/internet-vacancy-index. State and national figures are the sum of the ABS areas in Jobs and Skills Australia's regional series.
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Data by Region, v1.6.0. dbr.abs.gov.au. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 24 October 2026.
  4. ViewJobs, Live job ads on ViewJobs, 25 Oct 2026. preview.viewjobs.com.au.

Cite this report

ViewJobs (2026). Townsville job market report, data to September 2026. https://preview.viewjobs.com.au/job-market/qld/townsville

Licence

Contains data from Jobs and Skills Australia, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, used under CC BY 4.0. ViewJobs has charted the data and, where marked as ViewJobs analysis, added areas together.

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