ANZSCO 2335-12Queensland

Mechanical EngineerApril 2017

Labour Economics Office Queensland

Department of Employment

Current labour market ratingNo Shortage

Previous labour market rating (April 2016)No Shortage

Comments

This year, the majority of mechanical engineer vacancies in both metropolitan and regional areas were filled without difficulty. Respondents reported sufficient numbers of applicants and an increased proportion of vacancies were filled.

Survey results

  • The employers surveyed who had recently advertisedfor mechanical engineers reported that 93 per cent of vacancies were filled within six weeks of advertising, a marked increase from the 60 per cent fill rate in 2016.
  • All metropolitan vacancies and 80 per cent of regional vacancies were filled.
  • On average there were almost 60 applicants per vacancy, less than half the number recorded lastyear’s 139 applicants.
  • Metropolitan employers attracted an average of 65 applicants per vacancy while regional employers attracted an average of 50 applicants per vacancy.
  • The average number of qualified applicants per vacancy was 27, which was also significantly lower than the 91qualified applicants reported in last year’s survey.
  • In this year’s survey, employers reported an average of 18 qualified applicants per metropolitan vacancy and 44 per vacancy in regional areas.
  • The 2016-17 survey data shows that there were 4.3 suitable applicants per vacancy which is a slight reduction on the 5.5 suitable applicants reported in the 2015-16 survey.
  • Metropolitan employers attracted an average of 2.8 suitable applicants per vacancy while regional employers attracted an average of 7.3suitable applicants.

Unsuitable applicants

  • While there were a largenumber of applicants per vacancy, around 33 per cent of all applicants were not qualified.
  • Employers stated that, of those applicants who were qualified, the most common reasons applicants were considered unsuitable were that they lacked specific experience sought by the employer, such as design, project management and industry sector experience.
  • Several applicants were also considered unsuitable because they demonstrated poor interpersonal or communication skills and others had unstable work histories.
  • Some regional employers were unwilling to consider applicants from out of the local area due to concerns about retention.

Demand and supply trends

  • Although predominantly employed in engineering consultancies, demand for mechanical engineers generally depends on activity levels in the manufacturing and resources industries. In Queensland, employment in both manufacturing and mining declined over the year to February 2017 by 2.2percent and nine per cent respectively.[1]
  • Labour Force figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that over the 12 months to February 2017 persons employed as mechanical engineers fell by around37 per cent.[2]
  • After reachingan all-time low in the 12 months to June 2016, the Department of Employment’s Internet Vacancy Index data for Queensland shows that the number of internet vacancies for industrial, mechanical and production engineers hasbeen slowly increasing over the ten month period to April 2017.[3]
  • Formal entry to this profession is via the completion of a four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) degree.
  • Unless working under the supervision of a registered engineer, mechanical engineers must register with the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ).
  • Latest data indicates that 1458 mechanical engineers reside in Queensland and are registered with the BPEQ.[4]
  • Information from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection indicates that since the recent peak of 123 class 457 visas granted in 2011-12temporary skilled migration has declined each year and is currently a minor source of supply to this profession. There were11 class 457 visas granted for positions in Queensland in the nine months to 31 March 2017.[5]

Labour Economics Office Queensland

Department of Employment

[1]ABS, 6291Labour Force, Australia

[2]Ibid

[3]Department of Employment

[4]Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland

[5]Department of Immigration and Border Protection