Recruitment across the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Braidwood, Goulburn, Yass and Crookwell are in New South Wales, not the ACT. The official employment-region boundaries place the ACT and the NSW council areas of Queanbeyan-Palerang, Goulburn Mulwaree, Yass Valley and Upper Lachlan (with Hilltops and Snowy Monaro) in one Capital Region employment region,⁴ and that is one basis for grouping them in our Australian Capital Territory guides. Official population statistics also count Canberra and Queanbeyan as a single urban area of 521,049 people at 30 June 2025.⁵ The region's employment profile uses a broader statistical area that combines the ACT with the NSW Capital Region, with 397,400 employed people on a four-quarter average to February 2026.⁶

Services cross the border too. Canberra Health Services serves the ACT and the surrounding Southern New South Wales region,⁷ and the ACT and NSW governments' joint progress report describes Canberra as a hub for health services for the region and records a cross-border public transport working group with Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.⁸ Yass Valley borders the ACT, and its council describes daily commuter and school transport links with Canberra and places the council area about 60 km north of the Canberra CBD.⁹ The Upper Lachlan Shire Council places its shire about 100 km north of Canberra.¹⁰

The Australian Public Service had 68,451 staff in the ACT at 30 June 2026, down from 70,051 a year earlier.¹³ Employment in public administration and safety in the ACT fell 12% in the year to February 2026, while health care and social assistance grew 12.6%.²

Private businesses, contractors and community organisations still compete with government for office, finance, technical and policy-adjacent staff. We help by explaining what your role offers that a government job may not, such as the work itself, flexibility or progression, and by searching across the whole region rather than Canberra alone.

We recruit professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people. In the ACT and the nearby NSW towns that includes qualified trades such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters and mechanics, and graduate and experienced engineers and technicians for construction, infrastructure, defence and government projects, as well as accountants, administrators and other business professionals.

We also recruit health professionals, including registered and enrolled nurses, allied health, and health administration and management staff, and health support workers such as assistants in nursing and disability and aged-care support workers. ICT professionals were the most advertised occupation group in the ACT, at 508 online job ads a month in the three months to September 2026, ahead of general-inquiry clerks, call-centre workers and receptionists (340).¹⁴

Canberra has the Australian National University at Acton,¹⁵ the University of Canberra at Bruce¹⁶ and UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy and a city campus.¹⁷ On the NSW side, TAFE NSW has campuses in Queanbeyan, Goulburn and Yass.¹⁸ We talk with graduates about the work, the location and the guidance your team gives in their first year.

If a role needs a security clearance, tell us the level and whether the person must already hold it. We ask candidates what they hold and include it in the shortlist, but we don't grant, verify or sponsor clearances.

For roles in Goulburn, Yass or the Upper Lachlan, tell us where the working day starts and whether people commute from Canberra or Queanbeyan, and we include that in the search. If your preferred candidate is moving to the region, we raise housing and any relocation support early. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Register with Hire Australia and tell us the towns you can work from on either side of the border, the work you want and when you could start. Experienced people, graduates and people moving to the region are all welcome. We'll talk with you about roles that fit.