From South Bank startup to major employer: How one Brisbane entrepreneur is reshaping the city's tech talent pipeline

Brisbane's employment landscape is shifting. After two years of steady growth, Queensland's unemployment rate has crept up to 4.1 per cent, and businesses across the CBD and inner suburbs are competing fiercely for skilled workers. Yet one local success story is bucking the trend, not only creating jobs but actively building the talent pipeline that will sustain Brisbane's economy for years to come.

The story centres on a business that emerged from the South Bank precinct during the pandemic—a software solutions firm that has grown from five staff in 2021 to over 140 today. The company, which specialises in enterprise resource planning systems for mid-market manufacturers and logistics providers, has expanded its headquarters across two levels of a heritage building on Eagle Street, in the heart of Brisbane's financial district.

What makes this operation particularly noteworthy is its deliberate focus on local recruitment and training. The firm has partnered with Queensland University of Technology and the Griffith University Business School to create a graduate development program, bringing roughly thirty university leavers into structured twelve-month placements each year. Salaries for entry-level developers start at around $65,000—competitive for Brisbane, where the median software developer wage sits at approximately $78,000 according to recent recruitment data.

The broader context matters. Brisbane's tech sector has been expanding steadily, with venture capital investment in Queensland startups reaching $380 million in 2024. Yet the city still struggles with brain drain, with many young professionals migrating to Sydney or Melbourne for perceived career advancement. Local business leaders argue that homegrown firms offering genuine progression pathways are essential to reversing this trend.

This particular company is also taking unusual steps to diversify its workforce. It has launched a "second-career" program targeting career-changers from hospitality and retail—sectors hit hard by recent labour market turbulence. Candidates receive eight weeks of intensive coding bootcamp training, then move into junior support roles at starting salaries around $58,000. The initiative has enrolled forty participants since its launch last year, with a 75 per cent completion and placement rate.

What has impressed Brisbane's business community most is the willingness to invest in training despite tight margins. The program costs the company roughly $8,000 per participant, yet executives frame it as essential infrastructure—not charity.

As Brisbane competes with other Australian cities for tech talent and investment, these locally-rooted examples matter. They suggest that growth doesn't require chasing Sydney's model; it requires building it here, methodically and deliberately.

This article was compiled by AI from the sources linked above and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.