What’s your dream job? You might be surprised to discover you share the same dream with people all across Australia. On the other hand, you could be lucky enough to find that your current job is the one that thousands of others are dreaming of.
BizCover, Australia’s number one online insurance service for small businesses, has sought to discover the most searched for jobs in Australia. By using Google Data from August 2023 to July 2024 and tracking the term “how to become a [job]” for various occupations, we were able to ascertain which professions Aussies searched online to shake up their career path or jumpstart their small business aspirations
Key Takeaways
- Australia’s number one most searched for job was real estate agent, with a total of 37,300 searches made annually for “how to become a real estate agent”.
- This was followed by justice of the peace with 25,500 annual searches, psychologist (21,500), pilot (20,990) and paramedic (18,900).
- Real estate agent was the most searched for job in every state and territory – except for NSW, which had justice of the peace as their most-searched for position.
- A surprising number of jobs in the top 15 focused on helping others – such as paramedic, firefighter, nurse, social worker and teacher.
When you think about your ultimate dream job, what does it look like? For many people in Australia, becoming a real estate agent is at the top of their list. Over the past 12 months, “how to become a real estate agent” gained the most amount of attention, with a total number of 37,300 annual searches, making it the most highly searched-for job in Australia. There could be a few different factors driving this trend, which may include a busy housing market that promises job security and room for growth for aspiring agents.
Real estate agent was followed by “how to become a justice of the peace”, which had 25,500 annual searches. Though it’s worth mentioning this is not a paying job, but a voluntary position.
Psychologist came in at number three on the national list, with a total number of 21,500 annual searches. This was followed by pilot and paramedic rounding out the top five.
But for many Aussies, it seems it’s not just about bringing home a big paycheque. Some Australians’ dream jobs are quite altruistic, with paramedic, police officer, firefighter, nurse, social worker and teacher all making the top 15. An interest in these kinds of roles shows that the dream job for many Aussies is one that focuses on helping others.
The national trend was reflected in most states and territories, with real estate agent the number one most searched for role. The only state to buck this trend was NSW, which had “how to become a JP” as its number one search (14,280 annual searches).
Victoria had the highest number of searches for “how to become a real estate agent” (9,470), followed by Queensland (8,760). And despite its relatively small size, the ACT still had a decent search number of 620 – perhaps reflecting the state of its profitable, expanding housing market.
Ever dreamed of going viral with that one perfect video and becoming a celebrated influencer? Believe it or not, YouTuber was the number one most searched for job in the social media and online category, with 5,500 annual searches. This could reflect our ever-increasing obsession with social media and where many of us now get our news from.
This was followed by journalist, which had 3,040 annual searches, then software developer and developer (both with 2,970 annual searches) and content creator (2,600 annual searches).
When it comes to the public sector, justice of the peace was the most searched for role in Australia. Overall, it had 25,500 annual searches. As mentioned above, this was also NSW’s top searched for role with 14,280 annual searches. This amounts to 56% of the nation’s total searches for this role.
Next on the list for public sector jobs was psychologist, with 21,500 annual searches. Paramedics came third with 18,900 annual searches, followed by police officer (12,420 searches) and firefighter (12,000 searches). It’s worth mentioning that these roles had a significantly higher search rate than the previous category of social media and online, which could reflect Australians’ altruism when it comes to pursuing a career.
The rise of trends like #bookstagram and #booktok, not to mention the almost limitless collection of subreddits dedicated to genres, authors and series, have helped to bring together bibliophiles from all over the country. Maybe it’s this online movement that has inspired Aussies to search for “how to become a writer”, catapulting the profession into the number one spot in the arts and culture category with 3,390 annual searches.
Writer was closely followed (perhaps surprisingly) by DJ, with 3,200 searches. In this context, DJ refers to both club DJs and radio presenters. The perceived lifestyle that comes with either of these professions – whether you’re spinning tracks at a club or working behind the desk at a radio station – could inspire music-loving Aussies to consider this as their next career path.
Presumably influenced by shows like The Voice and Australian Idol, singer was the third most searched for job with 2,800 annual searches. This was very closely followed by photographer (2,720) and fashion designer (2,390).
When it comes to the sciences, physiotherapist was the most searched for job with 11,540 annual searches. This is closely followed by veterinarian, with 10,600 annual searches.
On the surface, these two roles seem very different. But while one profession works with animals, and the other with people, both jobs require an in-depth, scientific knowledge of a very particular topic as well as empathy and good communication skills. This could again point towards a trend where Aussies are looking for fulfilling jobs that bring more than just a paycheque at the end of the day.
In third place is radiographer (5,300 searches), which is a highly specialised role that involves taking x-rays and other types of medical images to assist doctors with diagnoses. This is closely followed by optometrist (5,100) and data analyst (4,480).
These roles all, to varying degrees, can be classified as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) roles. With a growing demand for STEM roles in Australia, now could be a good time for those interested in any of these professions to start studying up.
Far and away the most searched for job in sports is personal trainer, with 7,940 annual searches. For the right type of personality, becoming a personal trainer could be hugely rewarding – especially if you enjoy motivating others to become their best selves and have a passion for health and fitness. Plus, there’s growing demand for this role with a predicted growth of 9.8% over the next few years.
Personal trainer was followed by boxer with 570 annual searches, which could be inspired by Australia’s love of professional boxing and UFC.
This was then followed by sports coach (310), wrestler (290) and footballer (280).
With the construction industry in Australia booming, it’s unsurprising that the topmost searched jobs in trades and skilled labour are builder (6,570 annual searches) and construction manager (5,590 searches). Both of these roles have the potential to earn a decent wage in a billion-dollar industry and don’t require an expensive, years-long university degree. Instead, you can join the construction industry through vocational education and an apprenticeship pathway, which could be highly appealing for those who like to work with their hands and get outdoors.
In third place for trades and skilled labour is mechanic, with a total annual search number of 4,210. This is followed by plumber with 3,280 searches and carpenter with 3,150 searches.
Here, real estate agent came out on top as the most searched for job in this category but also across the country. With 37,300 annual searches, it’s 2.5 times more popular than the next job in this category, mortgage broker, which had 14,760 annual searches. It’s interesting to note that the top two most searched jobs in this category both rely on Australia’s housing market to remain successful. Given that the housing market is worth tens of billions of dollars, this might not come as a surprise to many.
Finance advisor is the third most searched role, with 9,720 annual searches, followed by project manager (9,470) and tax agent (5,130).
The trend here seems to be focusing on roles that are related to finance, with three out of five roles fitting into the financial services industry. This could possibly reflect people looking at roles that can offer not only job security, but also the potential to earn more money than their current job during the cost-of-living crisis.
Flying miles high above the second-place contender, flight attendant is the number one most searched job in the food and hospitality category with 14,700 annual searches. And why not? Overseas travel, free flights and snappy uniforms still make flight attendant a very attractive role for many.
In second place is chef, with 3,750 annual searches, followed by bartender (2,250), baker (1,660) and butcher (980).
What our job search history says about us
This data, collected over a period of 12 months, demonstrates some interesting details about Australians’ dream jobs. Perhaps most surprising was the split between the kind of roles that can provide job security and good earning potential, and jobs that focus on helping others in a variety of ways.
Ultimately, this data shows a growing trend, especially among younger generations, where people are searching for a job that can provide personal fulfillment and job satisfaction.
As Aussies continue to assess their career options and what they want their dream job to look like, the future of Australia’s workforce could continue to evolve in unexpected ways.
Methodology
This research studied Australia’s most searched dream jobs.
Using Google Data (Keyword Planner) BizCover analysed data spanning 12 months between August 2023 to July 2024 in each of the top 50 most populated Australian cities* for ‘how to become a [job]’ search terms associated with dreaming of a new job or career.
A seed set of 175 professions was used to create a comprehensive list of search terms relating to professions and career roles. This keyword list was then segmented against each of the 50 cities through targeting in the Google platform to retrieve search volumes. BizCover then ranked each profession according to the number of people searching for it.
This comprehensive study evaluates the top 50 most populated Australian cities (50 largest urban areas in Australia by the Significant Urban Area* measure using the seed list here) for the most searched jobs.
