LOCAL JOBS EXPO A CATALYST FOR CONNECTION AND NEW CAREERS ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

• Jobseekers and employers have made cross-cultural connections at the Multicultural Job Fair and Business Expo on the Sunshine Coast.
• Proudly supported by the Miles Government as part of Queensland Small Business Month, the event celebrated both the diversity of culture and industry in the region.
• According to Jobs Queensland the Sunshine Coast is projected to experience the second fastest
increase in employment in Queensland in the five years to 2025-26 – with workforce growth of around 12.5%.

An $8.5 million Miles Government initiative that will assist up to 2,500 jobseekers to find meaningful employment and boost Queensland’s workforce has partnered with local employers to help fill jobs for the Sunshine Coast’s booming economy.

The Multicultural Job Fair and Business Expo provided a platform for people from diverse cultural backgrounds to showcase their abilities, while connecting them with local businesses and potential employers.

Held at the Baringa Community Centre, the event featured exhibitor employers including McDermott Aviation, Kinetic, Sunshine Coast Council, Rockpool Aged Care and Kilcoy Global Foods.

The event also included musical performances, multicultural food vendors, and a range of workshops, covering how to start, grow and thrive in business and how to connect to local employers.

Quotes attributable to the Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt:
“With the Sunshine Coast projected to experience the second fastest workforce growth in the State, we’ll need more locals to enter, or re-enter the workforce, to get the good jobs in our local priority industries.

“Two of those priority industries are aged care and healthcare, so it was great to have Rockpool here as an employer who is hiring locally for jobs in their new aged care facility.

“Thanks to our Big Build of Homes for Queenslanders we’re also seeing huge growth in good jobs for our local housing construction industry.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Nicklin Rob Skelton:
“The Sunny Coast is such a diverse community, so fairs like this are a great chance to spotlight that.

“It was fantastic to show what our region has to offer and to put locals at the front of the queue for good jobs with local employers.

“With around 36,000 small businesses thriving on the Sunshine Coast and a strong pipeline of investment through Labor’s Big Build, it’s no wonder our region is projected to have some of the fastest employment growth anywhere in the state.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Lance McCallum:
“We want Queenslanders at the front of the line for good local jobs so programs and investment this this will ensure we make the most of this golden decade of opportunity.

“Under national cost of living pressures, a good job with better pay isn't just stability for Queenslanders, it's the foundation they need to build a future for themselves and their family.

“There’s no clearer difference between Labor and the LNP than jobs.

“A generation of good jobs under Labor is at risk with the LNP, just like when they sacked 14,000 hard-working public servants–including on the Sunshine Coast–under Campbell Newman.”

Further information:
• The Multicultural Job Fair and Business Expo was held on Saturday 25 May from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at the Baringa Community Centre, Baringa.
• The event was presented by the Caloundra Community Centre and the Sunshine Coast Council, with support from the Miles Government as part of Queensland Small Business Month 2024.
• Event partners included Sunshine Coast Regional Jobs Committee, Workforce Australia – Local Jobs, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast, Baringa, Caloundra and Nambour Community Centres, Sunshine Coast Migrant Hub (Diverse Queensland Workforce), Sunshine Coast Chinese Association, Your Brand Crew, FTA Accountants, Learning Coach, UniSC, and Matters Magazine.
• Through the Diverse Queensland Workforce Program, the Queensland Government has committed $8.5 million to June 2025, to assist up to 2,500 jobseekers to find meaningful employment and boost Queensland’s workforce.
• Diverse Queensland Workforce hubs operate in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, and Cairns.
• To-date, the program has supported more than 1,850 people from diverse cultural backgrounds into work.