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Job market report

Toowoomba job market report

Online job ads, unemployment, industries and pay in Toowoomba, 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 317 Toowoomba
Sources
JSA, ABS and ViewJobs

Key findings

  1. Steady: online job ads in Toowoomba were up 1.5% on a year earlier, from 1,131 to 1,148 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, 85 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by sales assistants and salespersons (80) and general-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists (79).

    Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for mobile plant operators rose fastest, up 64.0%.[1]

    Section 2: Which jobs are in demand →

  3. Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, health care and social assistance grew fastest, with 41% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (31% more).

    Public administration and safety had 6% fewer employee jobs than in 2019, and administrative and support services 3% fewer.[3]

    Section 4: Industries growing and shrinking →

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

    It was 7.0% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 61.0%, 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.

Toowoomba
+1.5%
1,148 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, ToowoombaThree-month average, October 2023 to September 2026.
1k1.1k1.2k1.3k1.4kJan 2024Sep 2024May 2025Jan 2026Sep 2026ToowoombaToowoomba, Sep 2026: 1,1481,148

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Online job ads a month, Toowoomba
MonthOnline job ads a month
October 20231,332
November 20231,282
December 20231,122
January 20241,093
February 20241,081
March 20241,188
April 20241,166
May 20241,172
June 20241,134
July 20241,136
August 20241,151
September 20241,195
October 20241,234
November 20241,209
December 20241,073
January 20251,079
February 20251,041
March 20251,146
April 20251,065
May 20251,092
June 20251,081
July 20251,117
August 20251,100
September 20251,131
October 20251,168
November 20251,153
December 20251,049
January 20261,043
February 20261,047
March 20261,176
April 20261,125
May 20261,114
June 20261,058
July 20261,092
August 20261,103
September 20261,148

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, ToowoombaThe 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: +64.0%Mobile plant operators+64.0%Corporate managers: +52.6%Corporate managers+52.6%Other labourers: +20.0%Other labourers+20.0%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals: +10.3%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals+10.3%Drivers and storepersons: +7.5%Drivers and storepersons+7.5%Hospitality, retail and service managers: +5.6%Hospitality, retail and service managers+5.6%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists: 0.0%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists0.0%Sales assistants and salespersons: 0.0%Sales assistants and salespersons0.0%Automotive and engineering trades: −1.4%Automotive and engineering trades−1.4%Medical practitioners and nurses: −6.8%Medical practitioners and nurses−6.8%Carers and aides: −9.6%Carers and aides−9.6%Legal, social and welfare professionals: −22.9%Legal, social and welfare professionals−22.9%

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Change in online job ads by occupation, Toowoomba
Occupation groupAds a month, September 2026A year earlierChange
Carers and aides8594−9.6%
Sales assistants and salespersons80800.0%
General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists79790.0%
Automotive and engineering trades7071−1.4%
Other labourers6050+20.0%
Drivers and storepersons5753+7.5%
Medical practitioners and nurses5559−6.8%
Health diagnostic and therapy professionals4339+10.3%
Mobile plant operators4125+64.0%
Hospitality, retail and service managers3836+5.6%
Legal, social and welfare professionals3748−22.9%
Corporate managers2919+52.6%
Other clerical and administrative workers2822+27.3%
Food trades2720+35.0%
Construction, production and distribution managers2618+44.4%
Business, finance and human resource professionals26260.0%
Engineering, ICT and science technicians2522+13.6%
Electrotechnology and telecommunications trades2421+14.3%
Construction trades2321+9.5%
Machine and stationary plant operators2321+9.5%
Numerical clerks2123−8.7%
Cleaners and laundry workers2022−9.1%
Health and welfare support workers1928−32.1%
Hospitality workers1713+30.8%
Education professionals1620−20.0%
Office managers, administrators and secretaries1519−21.1%
Sales representatives and agents1522−31.8%
Engineers1417−17.6%
Construction and mining labourers149+55.6%
Sports, travel and personal service workers1116−31.3%
Farm, forestry and garden workers11110.0%
Health, education, ICT and other managers10100.0%
Skilled animal and horticultural workers1011−9.1%
Factory process workers1014−28.6%
Jewellers, arts and other trades workers880.0%
Sales support workers87+14.3%
Science professionals and veterinarians79−22.2%
Hairdressers, printing, clothing and wood trades660.0%
Transport and design professionals, and architects5fewer than 5n/a
Food preparation assistants57−28.6%
Chief executives, managing directors & legislatorsfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Farmers and farm managersfewer than 56n/a
ICT professionalsfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Information professionalsfewer than 55n/a
Protective service workersfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Clerical and office support workers, couriersfewer than 55n/a
Arts and media professionalsfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Sales, marketing & public relations professionalsfewer 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, ToowoombaShare of the labour force unemployed at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Queensland.
  • Toowoomba
  • Queensland
5%6%7%8%201120162021ToowoombaToowoomba, 2011: 5.0%Toowoomba, 2016: 7.0%Toowoomba, 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, Toowoomba
CensusToowoombaQueensland
2011 Census5.0%6.1%
2016 Census7.0%7.6%
2021 Census5.0%5.4%
Figure 3.2: Labour force participation, ToowoombaShare of people aged 15 and over in the labour force at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Queensland.
  • Toowoomba
  • Queensland
59%60%61%62%63%201120162021ToowoombaToowoomba, 2011: 61.3%Toowoomba, 2016: 59.9%Toowoomba, 2021: 61.0%61.0%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, Toowoomba
CensusToowoombaQueensland
2011 Census61.3%62.8%
2016 Census59.9%61.0%
2021 Census61.0%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, Toowoomba, 2019 to 2023Industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs in 2023, fastest-growing first.
Health care and social assistance: +41.2%Health care and social assistance+41.2%Agriculture, forestry and fishing: +31.4%Agriculture, forestry and fishing+31.4%Professional, scientific and technical services: +28.7%Professional, scientific and technical services+28.7%Arts and recreation services: +28.3%Arts and recreation services+28.3%Accommodation and food services: +26.5%Accommodation and food services+26.5%Electricity, gas, water and waste services: +26.1%Electricity, gas, water and waste services+26.1%Retail trade: +25.9%Retail trade+25.9%Financial and insurance services: +25.7%Financial and insurance services+25.7%Other services: +21.8%Other services+21.8%Construction: +18.9%Construction+18.9%Transport, postal and warehousing: +16.3%Transport, postal and warehousing+16.3%Wholesale trade: +14.7%Wholesale trade+14.7%Manufacturing: +9.1%Manufacturing+9.1%Education and training: +7.4%Education and training+7.4%Rental, hiring and real estate services: +3.8%Rental, hiring and real estate services+3.8%Mining: +1.7%Mining+1.7%Administrative and support services: −3.2%Administrative and support services−3.2%Public administration and safety: −6.5%Public administration and safety−6.5%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Change in employee jobs by industry, Toowoomba, 2019 to 2023
Industry20192023Change
Health care and social assistance17,64424,917+41.2%
Retail trade10,70313,477+25.9%
Education and training11,39312,231+7.4%
Administrative and support services11,97611,594−3.2%
Accommodation and food services8,57310,846+26.5%
Construction7,3328,717+18.9%
Manufacturing7,6578,352+9.1%
Professional, scientific and technical services5,2816,798+28.7%
Public administration and safety6,7746,334−6.5%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing4,4135,799+31.4%
Other services4,2695,201+21.8%
Financial and insurance services3,9384,951+25.7%
Transport, postal and warehousing3,9124,551+16.3%
Wholesale trade3,8324,394+14.7%
Rental, hiring and real estate services2,1882,271+3.8%
Arts and recreation services1,2561,612+28.3%
Mining1,4111,435+1.7%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services8781,107+26.1%
Information media and telecommunications563652n/a
Figure 4.2: Largest industries by employee jobs, Toowoomba, 2023136,292 employee jobs across all industries in the year to 30 June 2023.
Health care and social assistance: 24,917Health care and social assistance24,917Retail trade: 13,477Retail trade13,477Education and training: 12,231Education and training12,231Administrative and support services: 11,594Administrative and support services11,594Accommodation and food services: 10,846Accommodation and food services10,846Construction: 8,717Construction8,717Manufacturing: 8,352Manufacturing8,352Professional, scientific and technical services: 6,798Professional, scientific and technical services6,798

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Largest industries by employee jobs, Toowoomba, 2023
IndustryEmployee jobsShare of all employee jobs
Health care and social assistance24,91718%
Retail trade13,47710%
Education and training12,2319%
Administrative and support services11,5949%
Accommodation and food services10,8468%
Construction8,7176%
Manufacturing8,3526%
Professional, scientific and technical services6,7985%
Public administration and safety6,3345%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing5,7994%
Other services5,2014%
Financial and insurance services4,9514%
Transport, postal and warehousing4,5513%
Wholesale trade4,3943%
Rental, hiring and real estate services2,2712%
Arts and recreation services1,6121%
Mining1,4351%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services1,1071%
Information media and telecommunications6520%
All industries136,292100%

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, ToowoombaIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Queensland and Australia.
  • Toowoomba
  • Queensland
  • Australia
$45k$50k$55k$60k$65k20192020202120222023ToowoombaToowoomba, 2019: $49,834Toowoomba, 2020: $51,414Toowoomba, 2021: $54,144Toowoomba, 2022: $55,654Toowoomba, 2023: $58,635$58,635QueenslandQueensland, 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, Toowoomba
YearToowoombaQueenslandAustralia
2019$49,834$50,776$52,256
2020$51,414$52,137$53,878
2021$54,144$54,414$56,485
2022$55,654$56,569$58,260
2023$58,635$59,751$61,966
Figure 5.2: Mean employee income, ToowoombaIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Queensland and Australia.
  • Toowoomba
  • Queensland
  • Australia
$55k$60k$65k$70k$75k20192020202120222023ToowoombaToowoomba, 2019: $56,198Toowoomba, 2020: $58,185Toowoomba, 2021: $60,833Toowoomba, 2022: $62,673Toowoomba, 2023: $66,184$66,184QueenslandQueensland, 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, Toowoomba
YearToowoombaQueenslandAustralia
2019$56,198$60,307$63,517
2020$58,185$62,160$65,591
2021$60,833$64,570$68,452
2022$62,673$67,160$70,950
2023$66,184$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
175,707
ABS, 2025 · up 8.2% since 2020[3]
Working-age population, 15 to 64
107,744
ABS, 2024 · up 6.6% since 2020[3]

Queensland's population was up 9.8% from 2020 to 2025, and Toowoomba's up 8.2%.[3]

7 Businesses

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

Businesses in the area
15,026
ABS, 2025 · up 13.0% since 2021[3]
Figure 7.1: Businesses by number of employees, Toowoomba, 2025Businesses by how many people they employ. The table adds each size's count in 2021 and the change.
No employees: 9,334No employees9,3341–4 employees: 3,6481–4 employees3,6485–19 employees: 1,5805–19 employees1,58020 or more employees: 46420 or more employees464

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Businesses by number of employees, Toowoomba, 2025
Size20212025Change
No employees7,8389,334+19.1%
1–4 employees3,6503,648−0.1%
5–19 employees1,4301,580+10.5%
20 or more employees375464+23.7%

8 Jobs on ViewJobs now

Note: No ViewJobs region has at least 20% of its towns in Toowoomba, so this report counts no ViewJobs ads for it. Browse jobs by region →

9 Quick answers

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

How many jobs are advertised in Toowoomba?

1,148 online job ads a month were placed in Toowoomba, on average, in the three months to September 2026.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Is Toowoomba's job market growing or shrinking?

Steady: online job ads in Toowoomba were up 1.5% on a year earlier, from 1,131 to 1,148 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 Toowoomba?

Carers and aides had the most online ads, 85 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by sales assistants and salespersons (80) and general-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists (79). Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for mobile plant operators rose fastest, up 64.0%.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

What is the unemployment rate in Toowoomba?

5.0% of the labour force in Toowoomba was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.4% across Queensland. It was 7.0% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 61.0%, 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 Toowoomba?

Average (mean) employee income in Toowoomba was $66,184 in 2023; the median was $58,635, against $59,751 across Queensland and $61,966 across Australia.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries employ the most people in Toowoomba?

Health care and social assistance had the most employee jobs in Toowoomba: 24,917 in 2023, 18% of the 136,292 employee jobs. Next were retail trade (13,477) and education and training (12,231).

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries are growing or shrinking in Toowoomba?

Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, health care and social assistance grew fastest, with 41% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (31% more). Public administration and safety had 6% fewer employee jobs than in 2019, and administrative and support services 3% fewer.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Is Toowoomba's population growing?

175,707 people lived in Toowoomba in 2025, up 8.2% since 2020. Queensland's population was up 9.8% over the same years. The working-age population was 107,744 in 2024, up 6.6% since 2020.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

10 Notes and method

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

The area
Toowoomba here is ABS SA4 317 Toowoomba. 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). Toowoomba job market report, data to September 2026. https://www.viewjobs.com.au/job-market/qld/toowoomba

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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