ANZSCO 2333-11
Electrical Engineer
Queensland
June 2015
Current labour market rating
No Shortage
Previous labour market rating (June 2014)
Regional Shortage
Comments
The most recent research shows that there are no shortages for electrical engineers, with all vacancies
in this year’s survey filled. Employers also reported greater numbers of applicants per vacancy than that
reported last year.
Survey results





Due to a low number of advertised vacancies in this year’s survey, 36 per cent of responses were
the result of cold canvasing and an additional 45 per cent of surveyed contacts were recruitment
agencies.
Vacancies for electrical engineers were located both in the private and public sector across a
number of industries including manufacturing, electricity and water, engineering consultancies and
construction.
Employers sought electrical engineers with a minimum of five years’ experience across a number of
diverse practices including systems engineering, control systems, instrumentation, asset
management and contracting.
o Some employers required electrical engineers with Registered Professional Engineer of
Queensland (RPEQ) endorsements.
This year, all vacancies for electrical engineers were filled within six weeks of advertising, which was
substantially higher than the 61 per cent fill rate of the last two years.
Overall, there were almost three times as many applicants per vacancy this year (52.8) than in 2014
(19.7).
o There were more than twice as many applicants per metropolitan vacancy (67.4) than for
regional vacancies (27.3).

There were 1.6 suitable applicants per vacancy with minimal difference between the average
number of suitable applicants per metropolitan and regional vacancies.

Almost 30 per cent of applicants for metropolitan vacancies were not qualified compared with ten
percent of applicants for regional vacancies.

Almost 97 per cent of all applicants were considered unsuitable by employers.
o Employers noted that numerous applicants were returning from employment in the resources
industry, but that many did not have suitable skill sets or industry experience.
Contacts noted that there is an increased pool of electrical engineers due to the slowdown in the
resources sector and the return of electrical engineers from interstate and overseas.

Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment
Unsuitable applicants





Around 27 per cent of applicants were not qualified electrical engineers.
Of those who were qualified, 96 per cent of qualified applicants were considered unsuitable by
employers, mostly to do with issues surrounding their experience.
o Employers stated that some qualified applicants lacked direct experience in various industries
such as manufacturing, construction and water supply while others lacked skills in asset
management, design, control systems or project engineering.
o Other applicants were recent graduates without enough experience or were too specialised
and lacking the broad experience required by some smaller employers.
A number of overseas applicants with working visas were deemed unsuitable because they had little
or no experience working in Australia or they possessed poor English language skills.
Many applicants did not have RPEQ endorsements.
Some applicants were considered an unsuitable cultural fit for the organisation.
Demand and supply trends






Electrical engineers are employed predominantly in engineering design and consultancy services,
electricity distribution and transmission and electrical services. Demand for electrical engineers
declined in Queensland as the resource sector contracted and energy consumption has fallen due to
changes in consumer behaviour and technological development.
Capital expenditure on the State’s electricity transmission and distribution networks has fallen by
18.6 per cent from $3.23 billion in 2012-13 to $2.63 billion in 2014-15.1
The most recent Counts of Australian Businesses shows that the number of Engineering Design and
Engineering Consulting Services with one or more employees declined by 2.5 per cent between
2012-13 and 2013-14.2
Vacancies for electrical engineers advertised online in Queensland have fallen each year since 2013,
falling by over 41 per cent over the year to May 2015.3
Labour Force Survey figures indicate that, after increasing by 44 per cent between November 2012
and November 2014, the number of persons employed as electrical engineers in Queensland fell by
about 16 per cent over the six months to May 2015.4
Formal entry to this profession is via the completion of a four-year Bachelor of Engineering
(Electrical) degree.
o Electrical engineers who are not working under the supervision of a RPEQ must be registered
with the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.
o As of 30 June 2015, there were 1730 electrical engineers residing in Queensland and registered
with the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.5
1
Queensland Government, State Budget 2014-15, Capital Statement, Budget Paper No. 3,
https://www.treasury.qld.gov.au/publications-resources/state-budget/2014-15/budget-papers/bp3.php
2
8165.0 Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, Jun 2010 to Jun 2014
3
Department of Employment, Labour Market information Portal, Vacancy Report, 12 month average, May 2015
4
ABS, 6291.0.55.003 - Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, Quarterly, May 2015, four quarter average
Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment



Exact commencement numbers for these courses are not available as some universities offer a year
of general engineering study before students select a discipline. Available figures from the
Australian Government Department of Education and Training show that the number of students
commencing electrical engineering bachelor degrees in Queensland fell from 869 in 2007 to an
average of 330 each year between 2011 and 2013.
The number of people graduating from electrical engineering bachelor degrees averaged 867
annually between 2006 and 2009 before increasing to 1000 in 2010. Completions then fell again to
average 877 each year between 2012 and 2013.6
Information provided by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection indicates that
overseas migration has decreased as a source of supply to this occupation since 2011-12.
5
Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland, Search Register, June 2015,
http://www.bpeq.qld.gov.au/imis15/BPEQ/Finding_an_RPEQ/Search_Register/BPEQ/Navigation/SearchRegister/Directory.a
spx?hkey=0914fde4-8f61-4cf5-97a3-c477456e8e0f
6
Department of Education and Training, Higher Education Student Data Collection, 2013, customised tables
Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment