The number of engineering vacancies  jumped by 36 per cent  in Queensland over the course of 2017, far outstripping the overall Queensland job vacancy growth of 8.1 per cent.

In January 2017 there were 579 vacancies for engineers in Queensland, growing to 788 in December 2017, according to an Engineers Australia report based on the latest data from the  Australian Government Department of Employment.

The job vacancy level is a key indicator of the demand for labour in specific fields.

Civil engineering occupations recorded the highest number of vacancies, with 285 vacancies recorded in January compared to 412 in November 2017. This dropped back slightly in the last month of the year to 377.

Vacancies for mining engineers in Queensland have almost doubled over the course of 2017, with 79 vacancies recorded in January compared to 147 vacancies in December.

Industrial and mechanical engineering have grown steadily over the course of 2017, with 70 vacancies recorded in January and 116 vacancies in December.

Electrical engineering vacancy numbers rose from 30 at the start of the year to 59 in December, while ICT support and test engineers and engineering manager occupation vacancies have remained steady in Queensland.

Telecommunications, electronics and chemical and materials have consistently remained the three occupations with the lowest vacancies, and each remained steady over the course of 2017.