Health & Allied Services

Health & Allied Services in North Queensland

Townsville is the major health service hub for Northern Queensland and is home to Townsville University Hospital and the Mater Hospital. Townsville University Hospital has the largest emergency department outside the south-east corner and is the largest tertiary hospital in Northern Australia.

The region also offers a range of health, research and innovative enterprises such as the Australian Institute for Tropical Health and Medicine, Royal Flying Doctors and James Cook University. Each year Townsville’s two hospitals undertake more than 10,000 operations, have 300 specialist doctors, deliver more than 14,500 babies since 2000, and combined they employ more than 5,600 locals.

Health & Allied Services in North Queensland

The Stats

1,476 Health care and social assistance businesses in NQ

$2.2Bn Value-add to regional economy annually

6,747 FTE hospital jobs across NQ

Emergency & Health Services

1. TUH ED Largest emergency department in the north

2. 100,000+ Patients Presented to ED across the region

3. 400+ Specialist doctors

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Site Sources ABS 2022 myfuture.com.au; labourmarketinsights.gov.au; nationalskillscommission.gov.au

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Industry Snapshot

Health Care and Social Assistance is Australia’s largest employing industry and, given the COVID-19 pandemic, has a critically important workforce.

This industry covers services like:

Hospital & Medical Centre Operations
General & Specialist Medical Services
Pathology & Diagnostic Imaging Services
Dental & Allied Healthcare
Ambulance Services
Childcare
Aged & Residential Care

Post-school education is commonly required in this industry with more than 80% of the workers having a post-school qualification. Qualifications are often mandatory for employment and training opportunities exist in both the higher education and VET sectors.

Demand is expected to continue for this industry, given the COVID-19 pandemic and Australia’s ageing population.

With a wide variance, average earnings are $1,057 per week, lower than the ‘all industries’ average of $1,200.

$1,507 Median Weekly Earnings

66.5% Employed Full-time (lower than average of 73%)

16.9% of the North Queensland Workforce

Share of employment by gender

Industry Outlook

With an ageing and constantly growing population, and an Indigenous population with poor health outcomes, the demand for medical and other health care services is high. According to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee, the occupations of Aged and Disabled Carers and Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers are expected to experience the most significant growth in the next five years.

Employment in Healthcare and Social Assistance is projected to grow by 301,000 (or 15.8%) over the five years to November 2026.

Find a Course or Traineeship

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TAFE offers Health, Nursing, Childcare and Social Services courses from Certificate to Diploma as well as support in sourcing apprenticeships and traineeships.

VISIT TAFE QUEENSLAND

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JCU offers a range of courses in healthcare and social services including the world leading Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) faculty. Visit the JCU site for pathway and course information as well as the JCU AITHM site to see how JCU is leading the global field of tropical medicine.

VISIT JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY

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Mater Education provides theoretical knowledge and practical experience for students and trainees in Allied Health, Aged Care, Disability Care, Healthcare Support, Pathology, Nursing and Healthcare Administration.

VISIT MATER EDUCATION

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CQU offers courses in Allied Health, Childcare, Social Services, Nursing and Paramedicine from Certificate to further degrees.

VISIT CQ UNIVERSITY

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MEGT is a great place to find currently advertised traineeships and apprenticeships.

VISIT MEGT

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Queensland Government provides assist in finding apprenticeships and traineeships including those that are funded by the Queensland Government. Visit the Queensland Training Information Service (QTIS) or the DESBT website for information.

VISIT QTIS