With unemployment sitting at a near 50-year low nationwide, a recruitment expert warns applicants have become complacent in their search for work.
New Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows unemployment is unchanged at 3.5 per cent nationally.
In Townsville, the largest city in northern Australia, unemployment is at a historic low of 2.2 per cent.
It is the lowest unemployment rate in regional Queensland, with more than 2,000 jobs advertised in the city each day.
But the ABS says the search for employment can still be still competitive.
"Even though we've got a low unemployment rate in Townsville, there are still about 3,000 people unemployed [and] actively looking for a job," ABS head of labour market statistics Lauren Ford said.
For 12 months, unemployment in the city has been trending down, with employers taking to social media to express their desperate need for staff.
Townsville recruitment expert Clayton Cook said that messaging was driving complacency.
"In this sort of environment, candidates hear of all this positivity and they think it's easy to find work," he said.
"Whether it's their resume, whether they have updated their LinkedIn profile, I think some people can get a bit lazy because they think it's easy."
Looking for jobs on social media
More jobseekers are reaching out to Facebook groups that connect employers and candidates, like Townsville Job Listings.
Founder Tyler Leese said though there were lots of jobs on offer, people who had the skills were not necessarily able to initiate an interview process or a conversation with an employer.
"That's what we're seeing as probably the biggest issue," she said.
Maggie Bellgrove did find success by engaging with the Facebook page.
She spent months looking for work in Townsville, a short ferry ride from her home on Magnetic Island, before she was hired as a barista.
"There were a few jobs I got accepted for but those employers wanted me to move from Magnetic Island," she said.
Advice for jobseekers
In hospitality, tourism, manufacturing, mining, healthcare, social work, trades and services, the need for staff is high.
As workforce shortages persist, Mr Cook said jobseekers should tailor applications to the role they were applying for.
"A lot of organisations are really stretched at the moment in terms of their resources," he said.
"Make it as easy as possible for the person reviewing your application to see you as a potential fit."
He said presenting to employers in person or calling for more information about a job was also a good strategy.
"It still works," Mr Cook said.
"There's still plenty of agencies [where] visiting in person is a better solution, if you can do it."
