TOP 15 JOBS IN DEMAND FOR 2018:
Top two industry tips for jobs in 2018 come as no surprise to region’s specialists
CONSTRUCTION and health care have been touted as the largest growing industries in Cairns for more than a year now so it would come as no surprise industry experts are united in their belief most of the region’s jobs will come from the two sectors in 2018.
Tourism, mining and education will also provide plenty of roles as new life is breathed into the growing industries in coming months.
Precruitment North Queensland manager Rona Horsfall said construction had been booming in the Far North with three hotels, apartment blocks and other projects underway or about to kick off.
“I think the jobs will be in construction and basically everything that flows into that — engineering, legal, accounting,” she said.
“We’re at the stage where the flow-on effect is going to happen and construction will continue to need people across the board
“Health, with the National Disability Insurance Scheme coming, also has many jobs going.
“And aged care, you can’t deny with the ageing population we’re going to need more staff in nursing homes.”
Ms Horsfall said with the expansion of Central Queensland University’s offerings in aviation, and its plans to move into new CBD premises, plus future JCU expansion and funding increases to TAFE, education offered jobseekers a variety of jobs in a growing sector.
“It’s been slow. I think there is still to some extent a bit of caution but I think this year the flow-on effect people were hoping for last year will come through,” she said.
“When I compare it to four years ago, when I first got here, the mood has definitely lifted.
“There are a lot of people still hurting, but there is still that cautious optimism.”
Herron Todd White research director Rick Carr agreed.
“On-going demand for medical and healthcare practitioners will be heightened by NDIS demands,” he said.
“And as the three new Crystalbrook hotels progressively move from formwork to finishing stages during the year, plus the Nova City start-up expected in mid-2018, there will be opportunities to create jobs for carpenters, concreters and steelfixers at the formwork stages, moving to electricians, plumbers, tilers, plasterers, carpetlayers and painters as they progress to finishing and fitouts.
“More tourism and hospitality jobs will be instigated by the first of the new Crystalbrook hotels, Riley, opening in 2018, together with extra jobs arising from extra tourism generated by extra flights.”
Mr Carr also predicted mining jobs from regional Cape York mining projects such as Amrun would also be available.
He also believed an uptake in business would flow through to planning, engineering, legal, accounting professions.