Explore up-to-date workforce data, insights and planning tools to support employment, training and business decisions in the Mount Isa region. This hub brings together key statistics on local labour trends, industry needs and skill gaps—alongside useful resources like government strategies, planning guides, and links to Queensland workforce programs.
Mount Isa Workforce Data Literacy & Survey Co-Design Project
Building Regional Capability. Strengthening Evidence. Supporting Local Solutions.
Throughout 2025, the Mount Isa Regional Jobs Committee partnered with Ronan Analytics to deliver the Mount Isa Workforce Data Literacy and Survey Co-Design Project—a region-first initiative designed to improve data capability, understand real workforce needs, and create evidence that strengthens planning, funding, and local decision-making.
The project combined in-person data literacy workshops, follow-up online sessions, and a co-designed workforce survey that captured the lived realities of Mount Isa’s health, social assistance and dual-service organisations. The approach ensured that every insight was shaped by local experience and grounded in ethical and culturally sensitive data governance practices.
This work aligns directly with the Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032 and supports Mount Isa RJC’s commitment to place-based workforce planning.
Link to the dashboard can be found here
What We Did
1. In-Person Data Literacy & Transformation Workshops
2. Online Skills Sessions
3. Co-Designed Regional Workforce Survey
Participants recorded a 28% uplift in capability, particularly in survey design, data governance and data interpretation. 38 respondents from 31 organisations contributed data covering 42 different service offerings, representing a workforce footprint of approximately 2,600–3,000, and up to 7,000 including interconnected sectors such as government services, education, and training.
What We Found
Critical Occupations & Skills Needs
Link to the dashboard can be found here
The most commonly needed roles were:
| The most critical shortages (highest urgency scores) were:
| Services Under Greatest Workforce Pressure
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These services intersect strongly with housing, environmental health, youth development and clinical pathways—highlighting the interconnected nature of regional challenges.
Attraction & Retention Challenges
Across the region, three core pressures dominated:
- Education & Skills Access (4.41/5)
- Pay & Employment Conditions (4.33/5)
- Living Conditions (4.31/5)
Despite strong role satisfaction (8/10), 42% of respondents were unsure if they would stay in the sector, suggesting risks of up to 1,000 workers lost if representative of the broader workforce.
Cross-Cutting Regional Themes
- The workforce is thin across all regions particularly related to Allied Health, but also in Environmental Health, GPs, Specialists, Cancer Care, Youth, Mental Health, Aged/Disability Care and Child Protection—showing that the region faces cross cutting skills and role gaps.
- Social complexity is high: with hospital emergency presentations 4.4× the QLD average and domestic violence and crime rates 8–9× higher.
- Compliance delays (Blue/Yellow Cards, police checks) create workforce blockages.
- Lost qualifications due to RTO closures limit training pipelines.
- Youth out-migration continues to erode future workforce capacity.
- Many services depend heavily on Mount Isa as a regional hub.
Next Steps
- Strengthen Data Literacy
- Expand the Workforce Survey
- Establish a Regional Workforce Compact
The Mount Isa RJC acknowledges the contributions of local organisations, frontline workers, community leaders and sector representatives who participated in workshops, provided feedback, and supported the survey. Their insights shaped every stage of this project.
We also thank Ronan Analytics for their expertise, ethical data practices and commitment to regional capability development. And also extend that to Yup Yup Labs for their ongoing support and partnership.
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Local Workforce Data: Provide relevant workforce data and insights on Mount Isa’s LGA employment trends, industry demands and skill gaps.
Queensland Regional Profiles | Queensland Government Statistician's Office, Queensland Treasury
Jobs and Skills Atlas - Regional Industry Overview | Jobs and Skills Australia
Useful Resources: Offer downloadable resources, workforce planning tools and links to government programs like the Queensland Workforce Strategy to help businesses and individuals make informed decisions.
