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One Workforce, Many Regional Stories

Queensland’s education and care workforce is often spoken about as one sector. The Institute’s regional intelligence profiles tell a more nuanced story: of one workforce, shaped by many different environments, people and realities across the State. While some regions are growing quickly, others are focused on sustainability, access and service continuity, with each carrying different workforce planning signals.

The Institute has developed regional intelligence profiles to provide a shared evidence base for workforce planning at a regional level. The profiles bring together service, workforce, child development, population and community data so local educators, services and stakeholders can see what is happening in their own region, not just across Queensland as a whole. They were created to support practical conversations about educator supply, service growth, access, quality, capability and local workforce priorities.

Data graphic

Across Queensland, almost 48,000 educators are supporting children and families across 3329 education and care services in 268,406 approved places. Behind that number are local realities that look very different region to region. Over the past two years some regions have seen strong growth, with Ipswich increasing by 19 services, Moreton Bay by 16 services, and Logan Beaudesert by 11 services, pointing to regions where growth is creating demand for educator supply, qualification pathways and leadership capacity. Far North Queensland recorded 7 fewer services and Darling Downs 9 fewer services over the same period, raising different questions about service sustainability, access and local workforce support. 

A growing corridor like Ipswich does not face the same workforce questions as Far North Queensland. The Gold Coast’s large and highly private service market is different again. Darling Downs brings another story, where services are more dispersed and sustainability can matter just as much as growth.
 
The regional profiles support evidence informed workforce planning not by ranking regions, but by helping each region understand its own workforce conditions. The evidence is showing us that workforce planning cannot be done from a statewide average. It needs to be grounded in place. Service growth, provider mix, educator supply, qualification pathways, child development outcomes, family access and local community context all interact. When we look at these together, we start to see where workforce pressure is building, where capability may need strengthening, and where local partnerships can make the biggest difference.
All Regions map July 2026
The profiles remind us that workforce planning is about more than filling vacancies. It is about asking better questions. Where are services growing? Where are they closing? What kinds of providers are operating in the region? Are educators available where children and families need them? Are qualification pathways reaching the right places? What local knowledge helps explain what the data can only point toward?

The data provides a shared starting point, but it cannot do the work alone. Educators, service leaders, community partners and regional stakeholders bring the practice experience needed to interpret the patterns. A data set can show that one area is growing quickly but local voices can explain what that means for recruitment, housing, transport, mentoring, inclusion support or educator wellbeing. A profile can show service mix, but stakeholders can turn that into practical workforce action.
The most powerful aspect of these insight profiles is not the numbers themselves. It is the conversation they make possible. They give each region a way to move from “we know workforce is a challenge” to “we can see what kind of challenge it is here.” This process helps regions plan responses that are targeted, realistic and locally owned.
 
The Institute invites educators, teachers, service leaders and regional stakeholders to be part of this journey by engaging with the regional insight profiles and helping bring Queensland’s education and care workforce data to life. 
Queensland’s education and care workforce cannot be understood through statewide averages alone. It is shaped by people, place and partnership. The goal is not to compare regions, but to understand what each place is telling us so that workforce responses can be tailored to local conditions.
Access the Regional Insight Profiles here.

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