Sunshine Coast sees surge in skilled migrant arrivals as region's employment market booms

The Sunshine Coast has recorded its highest ever annual intake of skilled visa holders as the region's booming construction, health, and technology employment market draws internationally qualified workers who might previously have settled in South-East Queensland's inner suburbs or a capital city.

Sunshine Coast Council's economic development data shows approximately 4,200 skilled visa holders settled in the region in the past year, a 62 per cent increase over two years, driven primarily by demand in healthcare — particularly nursing and allied health — construction trades, technology, and hospitality management.

Federal Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the Sunshine Coast's ability to attract and retain skilled migrants reflected both the quality of the lifestyle offering and the genuine employment opportunities available, noting that the department's data showed Sunshine Coast-settled skilled migrants had among the highest employment rates and lowest relocation rates within two years of any regional settlement destination in Queensland. "People come to the Sunshine Coast for a job and they stay because they love it," he said.

The Sunshine Coast's Regional Skills Pathway, a Sunshine Coast Council initiative that connects internationally skilled workers with local employers before they arrive in Australia, has been cited by the federal government as a national model for regional skilled migration attraction. The program now has 85 employer participants and has facilitated more than 280 placements in two years of operation.

Housing supply for skilled migrants remains the most significant constraint on continued growth, with vacancy rates in Sunshine Coast private rentals at 0.6 per cent — effectively zero — making the region among the hardest in Australia to find rental accommodation.

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