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Job market report

Cairns job market report

Online job ads, unemployment, industries and pay in Cairns, 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
25 October 2026
Area
ABS SA4 306 Cairns
Sources
JSA, ABS and ViewJobs

Key findings

  1. Growing: online job ads in Cairns were up 2.7% on a year earlier, from 2,150 to 2,209 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. General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists had the most online ads, 171 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by medical practitioners and nurses (165) and sales assistants and salespersons (145).

    Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for ICT professionals rose fastest, up 50.0%.[1]

    Section 2: Which jobs are in demand →

  3. Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, information media and telecommunications grew fastest, with 62% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019, followed by mining (47% more).

    Agriculture, forestry and fishing had 15% fewer employee jobs than in 2019, and transport, postal and warehousing 2% fewer.[3]

    Section 4: Industries growing and shrinking →

  4. 5.7% of the labour force in Cairns was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.4% across Queensland.

    It was 7.8% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 59.3%, 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.

Cairns
+2.7%
2,209 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, CairnsThree-month average, October 2023 to September 2026.
1.8k2k2.2k2.4k2.6kJan 2024Sep 2024May 2025Jan 2026Sep 2026CairnsCairns, Sep 2026: 2,2092,209

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Online job ads a month, Cairns
MonthOnline job ads a month
October 20232,447
November 20232,382
December 20232,074
January 20242,015
February 20241,963
March 20242,160
April 20242,080
May 20242,075
June 20242,040
July 20242,045
August 20242,119
September 20242,181
October 20242,263
November 20242,236
December 20242,011
January 20252,001
February 20251,892
March 20252,109
April 20251,973
May 20251,991
June 20251,992
July 20252,101
August 20252,156
September 20252,150
October 20252,178
November 20252,129
December 20251,908
January 20261,879
February 20261,875
March 20262,143
April 20262,061
May 20262,053
June 20261,990
July 20262,104
August 20262,165
September 20262,209

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, CairnsThe 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.
Medical practitioners and nurses: +44.7%Medical practitioners and nurses+44.7%Business, finance and human resource professionals: +15.1%Business, finance and human resource professionals+15.1%Legal, social and welfare professionals: +7.1%Legal, social and welfare professionals+7.1%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals: +5.2%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals+5.2%Sales assistants and salespersons: +2.8%Sales assistants and salespersons+2.8%Food trades: +1.2%Food trades+1.2%Carers and aides: 0.0%Carers and aides0.0%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists: −3.4%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists−3.4%Other labourers: −4.5%Other labourers−4.5%Drivers and storepersons: −4.7%Drivers and storepersons−4.7%Hospitality, retail and service managers: −12.1%Hospitality, retail and service managers−12.1%Automotive and engineering trades: −16.0%Automotive and engineering trades−16.0%

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Change in online job ads by occupation, Cairns
Occupation groupAds a month, September 2026A year earlierChange
General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists171177−3.4%
Medical practitioners and nurses165114+44.7%
Sales assistants and salespersons145141+2.8%
Carers and aides1211210.0%
Drivers and storepersons101106−4.7%
Hospitality, retail and service managers94107−12.1%
Legal, social and welfare professionals9084+7.1%
Automotive and engineering trades89106−16.0%
Health diagnostic and therapy professionals8177+5.2%
Food trades8180+1.2%
Other labourers6467−4.5%
Business, finance and human resource professionals6153+15.1%
Corporate managers5645+24.4%
Hospitality workers5453+1.9%
Cleaners and laundry workers53530.0%
Health and welfare support workers5047+6.4%
Construction, production and distribution managers4745+4.4%
Engineering, ICT and science technicians4638+21.1%
Construction trades4653−13.2%
Electrotechnology and telecommunications trades4349−12.2%
Mobile plant operators4238+10.5%
Numerical clerks4129+41.4%
Other clerical and administrative workers4037+8.1%
Office managers, administrators and secretaries3744−15.9%
Education professionals3528+25.0%
Sports, travel and personal service workers3534+2.9%
Engineers30300.0%
Sales representatives and agents2836−22.2%
Farm, forestry and garden workers2723+17.4%
Machine and stationary plant operators2619+36.8%
Transport and design professionals, and architects2317+35.3%
Science professionals and veterinarians2220+10.0%
Construction and mining labourers1817+5.9%
Sales support workers1615+6.7%
Skilled animal and horticultural workers1422−36.4%
Jewellers, arts and other trades workers1416−12.5%
Health, education, ICT and other managers1317−23.5%
Sales, marketing & public relations professionals1311+18.2%
Food preparation assistants13130.0%
Hairdressers, printing, clothing and wood trades1011−9.1%
ICT professionals96+50.0%
Information professionals880.0%
Clerical and office support workers, couriers8fewer than 5n/a
Factory process workers812−33.3%
Chief executives, managing directors & legislators78−12.5%
Protective service workers711−36.4%
Arts and media professionals6fewer than 5n/a
Farmers and farm managersfewer than 56n/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, CairnsShare of the labour force unemployed at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Queensland.
  • Cairns
  • Queensland
5%6%7%8%201120162021CairnsCairns, 2011: 7.0%Cairns, 2016: 7.8%Cairns, 2021: 5.7%5.7%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, Cairns
CensusCairnsQueensland
2011 Census7.0%6.1%
2016 Census7.8%7.6%
2021 Census5.7%5.4%
Figure 3.2: Labour force participation, CairnsShare of people aged 15 and over in the labour force at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Queensland.
  • Cairns
  • Queensland
59%60%61%62%63%201120162021CairnsCairns, 2011: 62.7%Cairns, 2016: 59.8%Cairns, 2021: 59.3%59.3%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, Cairns
CensusCairnsQueensland
2011 Census62.7%62.8%
2016 Census59.8%61.0%
2021 Census59.3%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, Cairns, 2019 to 2023Industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs in 2023, fastest-growing first.
Information media and telecommunications: +61.5%Information media and telecommunications+61.5%Mining: +47.3%Mining+47.3%Health care and social assistance: +34.6%Health care and social assistance+34.6%Accommodation and food services: +34.3%Accommodation and food services+34.3%Professional, scientific and technical services: +25.5%Professional, scientific and technical services+25.5%Arts and recreation services: +23.6%Arts and recreation services+23.6%Other services: +22.9%Other services+22.9%Electricity, gas, water and waste services: +22.6%Electricity, gas, water and waste services+22.6%Retail trade: +19.4%Retail trade+19.4%Construction: +17.0%Construction+17.0%Financial and insurance services: +15.9%Financial and insurance services+15.9%Wholesale trade: +15.6%Wholesale trade+15.6%Administrative and support services: +14.3%Administrative and support services+14.3%Rental, hiring and real estate services: +12.4%Rental, hiring and real estate services+12.4%Manufacturing: +9.7%Manufacturing+9.7%Education and training: +8.9%Education and training+8.9%Public administration and safety: −1.1%Public administration and safety−1.1%Transport, postal and warehousing: −1.8%Transport, postal and warehousing−1.8%Agriculture, forestry and fishing: −14.6%Agriculture, forestry and fishing−14.6%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Change in employee jobs by industry, Cairns, 2019 to 2023
Industry20192023Change
Health care and social assistance24,22632,597+34.6%
Accommodation and food services22,80930,636+34.3%
Retail trade18,30921,855+19.4%
Administrative and support services17,22919,700+14.3%
Education and training15,17316,528+8.9%
Construction12,74714,915+17.0%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing14,16712,095−14.6%
Public administration and safety12,13211,995−1.1%
Professional, scientific and technical services7,4539,354+25.5%
Transport, postal and warehousing9,4449,275−1.8%
Other services7,4189,118+22.9%
Manufacturing8,0498,827+9.7%
Wholesale trade5,1635,967+15.6%
Financial and insurance services4,9455,731+15.9%
Rental, hiring and real estate services4,5915,158+12.4%
Arts and recreation services3,6264,483+23.6%
Mining2,5913,817+47.3%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services1,5371,884+22.6%
Information media and telecommunications9571,546+61.5%
Figure 4.2: Largest industries by employee jobs, Cairns, 2023227,559 employee jobs across all industries in the year to 30 June 2023.
Health care and social assistance: 32,597Health care and social assistance32,597Accommodation and food services: 30,636Accommodation and food services30,636Retail trade: 21,855Retail trade21,855Administrative and support services: 19,700Administrative and support services19,700Education and training: 16,528Education and training16,528Construction: 14,915Construction14,915Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 12,095Agriculture, forestry and fishing12,095Public administration and safety: 11,995Public administration and safety11,995

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Largest industries by employee jobs, Cairns, 2023
IndustryEmployee jobsShare of all employee jobs
Health care and social assistance32,59714%
Accommodation and food services30,63613%
Retail trade21,85510%
Administrative and support services19,7009%
Education and training16,5287%
Construction14,9157%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing12,0955%
Public administration and safety11,9955%
Professional, scientific and technical services9,3544%
Transport, postal and warehousing9,2754%
Other services9,1184%
Manufacturing8,8274%
Wholesale trade5,9673%
Financial and insurance services5,7313%
Rental, hiring and real estate services5,1582%
Arts and recreation services4,4832%
Mining3,8172%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services1,8841%
Information media and telecommunications1,5461%
All industries227,559100%

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, CairnsIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Queensland and Australia.
  • Cairns
  • Queensland
  • Australia
$45k$50k$55k$60k$65k20192020202120222023CairnsCairns, 2019: $45,063Cairns, 2020: $46,596Cairns, 2021: $49,336Cairns, 2022: $51,102Cairns, 2023: $53,206$53,206QueenslandQueensland, 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, Cairns
YearCairnsQueenslandAustralia
2019$45,063$50,776$52,256
2020$46,596$52,137$53,878
2021$49,336$54,414$56,485
2022$51,102$56,569$58,260
2023$53,206$59,751$61,966
Figure 5.2: Mean employee income, CairnsIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Queensland and Australia.
  • Cairns
  • Queensland
  • Australia
$50k$60k$70k$80k20192020202120222023CairnsCairns, 2019: $52,447Cairns, 2020: $54,460Cairns, 2021: $57,042Cairns, 2022: $58,857Cairns, 2023: $61,256$61,256QueenslandQueensland, 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, Cairns
YearCairnsQueenslandAustralia
2019$52,447$60,307$63,517
2020$54,460$62,160$65,591
2021$57,042$64,570$68,452
2022$58,857$67,160$70,950
2023$61,256$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
271,408
ABS, 2025 · up 5.9% since 2020[3]
Working-age population, 15 to 64
170,659
ABS, 2024 · up 4.2% since 2020[3]

Queensland's population was up 9.8% from 2020 to 2025, and Cairns' up 5.9%.[3]

7 Businesses

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

Businesses in the area
24,328
ABS, 2025 · up 8.1% since 2021[3]
Figure 7.1: Businesses by number of employees, Cairns, 2025Businesses by how many people they employ. The table adds each size's count in 2021 and the change.
No employees: 14,645No employees14,6451–4 employees: 6,2061–4 employees6,2065–19 employees: 2,7085–19 employees2,70820 or more employees: 76920 or more employees769

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Businesses by number of employees, Cairns, 2025
Size20212025Change
No employees12,63314,645+15.9%
1–4 employees6,7086,206−7.5%
5–19 employees2,5162,708+7.6%
20 or more employees641769+20.0%

8 Jobs on ViewJobs now

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

Live jobs on ViewJobs in Tropical North Queensland
1,237
ViewJobs, 25 Oct 2026[4]
Figure 8.1: Live jobs on ViewJobs by classification, Tropical North QueenslandThe 8 classifications with the most live ads, as of 25 Oct 2026.
Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics: 251Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics251Hospitality & Tourism: 187Hospitality & Tourism187Healthcare & Medical: 181Healthcare & Medical181Community Services & Development: 108Community Services & Development108Retail & Consumer Products: 87Retail & Consumer Products87Education & Training: 54Education & Training54Trades & Services: 49Trades & Services49Self Employment: 48Self Employment48

Source: ViewJobs live ads[4].

Show the numbers
Live jobs on ViewJobs by classification, Tropical North Queensland
ClassificationLive jobs
Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics251
Hospitality & Tourism187
Healthcare & Medical181
Community Services & Development108
Retail & Consumer Products87
Education & Training54
Trades & Services49
Self Employment48

9 Quick answers

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

How many jobs are advertised in Cairns?

2,209 online job ads a month were placed in Cairns, on average, in the three months to September 2026.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Is Cairns' job market growing or shrinking?

Growing: online job ads in Cairns were up 2.7% on a year earlier, from 2,150 to 2,209 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 Cairns?

General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists had the most online ads, 171 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by medical practitioners and nurses (165) and sales assistants and salespersons (145). Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for ICT professionals rose fastest, up 50.0%.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

What is the unemployment rate in Cairns?

5.7% of the labour force in Cairns was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.4% across Queensland. It was 7.8% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 59.3%, 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 Cairns?

Average (mean) employee income in Cairns was $61,256 in 2023; the median was $53,206, against $59,751 across Queensland and $61,966 across Australia.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries employ the most people in Cairns?

Health care and social assistance had the most employee jobs in Cairns: 32,597 in 2023, 14% of the 227,559 employee jobs. Next were accommodation and food services (30,636) and retail trade (21,855).

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries are growing or shrinking in Cairns?

Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, information media and telecommunications grew fastest, with 62% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019, followed by mining (47% more). Agriculture, forestry and fishing had 15% fewer employee jobs than in 2019, and transport, postal and warehousing 2% fewer.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Is Cairns' population growing?

271,408 people lived in Cairns in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020. Queensland's population was up 9.8% over the same years. The working-age population was 170,659 in 2024, up 4.2% since 2020.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

How many jobs are on ViewJobs in Cairns?

At least 1,237 jobs are live on ViewJobs in Cairns, as of 25 Oct 2026. They are the ads in Tropical North Queensland, a ViewJobs region whose towns all sit in the area. The most advertised are Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (251), Hospitality & Tourism (187) and Healthcare & Medical (181).

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
Cairns here is ABS SA4 306 Cairns. 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 25 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 25 October 2026.
  4. ViewJobs, Live job ads on ViewJobs, 25 Oct 2026. viewjobs.com.au.

Cite this report

ViewJobs (2026). Cairns job market report, data to September 2026. https://www.viewjobs.com.au/job-market/qld/cairns

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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