Australia’s Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa aims to funnel skilled workers into regional areas for up to 5 years. It offers a streamlined route to permanent residency if you meet particular work and income conditions. As each state and territory runs its own separate nomination program and occupation list, knowing where the strongest demand is expected gives you a significant advantage when it comes to being invited.
Why do occupations and salaries matter in the 491 context?
Australian state and territory occupation lists are typically reviewed every few months to keep up with shortages in health, construction, tech, teaching and trades. Salary benchmarks offer a window into regional employers’ willingness to compete for talent, with many candidates finding that Subclass 491 nominations plus a good salary in a regional centre are the factors that tip the scales financially and professionally.
Tasmania’s sustained focus on nurses and allied health
Tasmania continues to draw heavily on nurses, registered nurses, aged-care nurses and allied health professionals to backfill staffing shortages in regional hospitals and aged-care facilities. Recent data for the state’s skilled migration program confirms that receiving a 491 nomination is worth 15 additional points on your points test if you also commit to regional Tasmania as your destination.
Registered nurses in Australia now average between AUD 70,000 and AUD 95,000 per year nationally, according to 2025 data, though one recent analysis shows the average salary across the country is about AUD 87,600 when factoring in age/experience groups. The number may be slightly higher in major regions with acute staff shortages. In rural and regional positions, that often translates into overtime and surcharge loadings on top of basic pay. For nurses and community care workers interested in 491, Tasmania offers a lower cost of living and a strong medium-term need.
South Australia’s push for engineers and infrastructure roles
The South Australian Skilled Occupation List for state nomination under the 491 in 2025 includes a wide range of engineers, notably civil, structural, and project engineers in areas such as infrastructure, defence, renewables, and project management. Nationally, the latest data puts average civil engineer salaries around AUD 95,000–115,000, depending on location and experience, while local data from South Australia suggests a more modest range of AUD 70,000-90,000+, again based on role seniority and type.
A 2025 review of civil engineering and infrastructure pay, however, points out that regional and large-project roles often come in the higher end of that salary range or offer multipliers based on the scale of the work. In particular, project engineers who are comfortable managing large civil infrastructure projects can find themselves in demand in the upper ranges. For 491 applicants, this means that South Australia can be a particularly good bet if you have relevant experience in road, water, transport or renewable-energy-related infrastructure and are willing to be based in Adelaide or regional centres.
Queensland’s 2025 emphasis on IT and digital talent
Queensland’s Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists (QSOL) indicate that the state continues to have a strong need for construction workers, healthcare professionals and various types of engineering skills. However, recent program advice also signals that Queensland is investing strategically in IT and digital roles to support infrastructure and construction programs, digitalisation of healthcare services and climate adaptation and emergency management projects.
A recent survey of software engineers in the state found the national salary to be around AUD 100,000 per year in 2025. A more recent study of advertised tech and engineering roles in regional Queensland found a significant number of six-figure posts in the AUD 100,000–285,000 range tied to hospital infrastructure and services, transport projects, and regional and regional city growth. For 491 applicants with software, cloud, cybersecurity, or data expertise, this means regional Queensland regions like Townsville and the Sunshine Coast or non-SB regional SEQ, could be viable alternatives to Brisbane.
Queensland’s regional labour market is often volatile or hot/cold depending on government spending trends. For example, school education may be in demand in mid-2025 but less so six months later.
Other regional industry hotspots: teachers, electricians, traders and construction
Beyond health, infrastructure and IT, several states make it clear that they have ongoing skill shortages in schoolteachers, electricians, carpenters, plumbers and construction managers. The bulk of these tend to show up in regions where government or housing infrastructure is booming, especially around school construction, road and transport upgrades and regional hospital and healthcare services. A broader overview of skill shortages in 2024–25, for example, lists construction and education alongside healthcare and tech as the areas of short supply.
Jobs in these sectors may not always pay as highly as a principal engineer or specialist IT role, but they often carry strong long-term security, government-backed project funding, and a more direct pathway to employer sponsorship or state nomination in regional areas. For families, they are also attractive from a quality-of-life perspective as a step toward long-term settlement and, eventually, upgrading to permanent residency under the 191 visa.
Strategies for mapping occupation lists to your 491 plan
If you are pursuing a 491-visa pathway in 2025, think of each state’s occupation list as a market signal as well as an entry requirement within the broader landscape of Australian work visas. That means:
- Validating that your occupation appears on the federal skilled occupation list for Subclass 491, a precondition for all state lists.
- Comparing at least two or three states to understand where your particular skillset has the most demand or the strongest case for invitation.
- Factoring in salary benchmarks and lifestyle considerations in the regional hubs that interest you.
For healthcare professionals, this may lead to clearer options and sustained demand in Tasmania. Engineers may find the biggest mix of eligibility and high salaries from South Australian or Queensland infrastructure projects. IT and digital specialists might dig into Queensland government plans for regional health, transport and digital service infrastructure to assess the best fit.
The “best” regional occupation is the one that balances state demand, realistic salary and fits your longer-term PR strategy. If you map these three criteria and stay alert to official occupation list revisions, the Subclass 491 visa can serve as an active bridge to permanent residency rather than just a stopgap.