Port Macquarie and Mid North Coast recruitment: trade, technical and professional staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help employers in Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Kempsey, Taree, Forster and Tuncurry hire health professionals, tradespeople, engineers and office staff, from graduates to experienced people, starting with people who live on the Mid North Coast or want to move there.
The Mid North Coast at a glance
- of workers are in health care and social assistance
- 23%
- 37,200 of 164,600 employed people across the Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton statistical areas, four-quarter average to February 2026.1
- of recruiting employers had difficulty filling a role
- 33%
- Year to August 2026, 107 employers surveyed, against 44% across regional New South Wales.2
- unemployment rate in Port Macquarie-Hastings
- 3.4%
- Smoothed estimate, June quarter 2026.3
- unemployment rate in Kempsey
- 7.1%
- Smoothed estimate, June quarter 2026. MidCoast was 5.4%.3
Who are the Mid North Coast's biggest employers?
Across the wider area used for the industry figures (the Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton statistical areas), health care is more than twice the size of any other industry.1 Mid North Coast Local Health District runs seven public hospitals from Port Macquarie-Hastings north to Coffs Harbour,4 including Port Macquarie Base Hospital and Kempsey District Hospital.5 Hunter New England Local Health District serves the lower Mid North Coast,6 and in the MidCoast $100 million has been committed to stage 2 of the Manning Base Hospital redevelopment.7
Construction, education, hospitality and retail make up the rest of the top five.1
Employed people in the five largest industries, combined Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton SA4s, four-quarter average to February 2026.1
| Industry | Employed people |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 37,200 |
| Construction | 17,500 |
| Education and training | 17,100 |
| Accommodation and food services | 16,200 |
| Retail trade | 15,700 |
Which jobs are most advertised on the Mid North Coast?
Nurses and doctors dominate the region's job ads, followed by legal, social and welfare professionals, a group that includes social workers and welfare officers, with 242 ads a month.8
Online job ads a month by occupation group, Mid North Coast statistical area, three-month average to September 2026 (all occupations: 1,561).8
| Occupation group | Job ads a month |
|---|---|
| Medical practitioners and nurses | 304 |
| Legal, social and welfare professionals | 242 |
| Carers and aides | 131 |
| Sales assistants and salespersons | 81 |
| General-inquiry clerks, call-centre workers and receptionists | 68 |
| Health diagnostic and therapy professionals | 48 |
One coast, several labour markets
The region stretches from Kempsey down to Forster and Tuncurry, and conditions differ from town to town. Port Macquarie-Hastings has 92,432 people and unemployment of 3.4%; the MidCoast council area, around Taree and Forster, has 99,448 and 5.4%; Kempsey has 31,950 and 7.1%.3,9
In Port Macquarie and Kempsey, health care and tourism each supported more than 9,000 jobs in 2021, and construction about 4,600.10 Around Taree and Forster, tourism supported 7,176 jobs, health care 6,600 and agriculture, fishing and food manufacturing 2,194.7
How hard is it to hire on the Mid North Coast?
Hiring here is somewhat easier than in much of regional New South Wales, but far from easy. Of the 107 employers surveyed in the year to August 2026, 45% were recruiting or had recruited in the previous month, and 33% of those had difficulty filling a role, against 44% across regional New South Wales.2
The reasons employers gave first were a lack of suitable applicants and applicants without the technical skills, followed by the working conditions or hours and a lack of experience.2 We screen closely for qualifications and experience, and we talk early about hours, because many health workers here work part-time.
Which roles do we recruit on the Mid North Coast?
Open a role type for demand, shortage, pay, training and what to put in your brief. We count an occupation as in shortage when the 2026 ratings show it in shortage nationally or in regional areas.
Health, aged care and disability support
Registered and enrolled nurses, allied health professionals, health administration and management staff, and support workers such as assistants in nursing and aged-care and disability support workers.
- Size of the sector
- Across the wider area used for the industry figures (the Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton statistical areas), 37,200 people work in health care and social assistance, 23% of workers. 51% worked part-time in the four-quarter average to February 2026; the workforce's median age was 47 in August 2021.1
- Demand
- Medical practitioners and nurses averaged 304 ads a month, carers and aides 131 and health diagnostic and therapy professionals 48.8
- Shortage
- Registered Nurse (Aged Care), Physiotherapist and Aged or Disabled Carer are each rated in shortage nationally in 2026, and Enrolled Nurse is rated in shortage in regional areas only.11
- What to put in your brief
- The registration needed, the facility, the shifts, whether part-time hours are possible and who supervises.
Trades and construction
Electricians, carpenters, plumbers, mechanics and maintenance tradespeople for builders, councils and service businesses.
- Size
- Construction employs 17,500 people across the Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton statistical areas, the second-largest industry.1
- Demand
- Automotive and engineering trades averaged 43 ads a month, electrotechnology and telecommunications trades 17 and construction trades 16.8
- Shortage
- Electrician (General), Carpenter and Plumber (General) are each rated in shortage nationally in 2026.11
- Pay (electricians)
- Where the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award covers the employer, a licensed electrician at Electrical worker grade 5 earns at least $1,223.11 a week from 1 July 2026, including allowances.12 Full-time electricians nationally earned a median $2,191 a week in May 2025.13
- Licence
- Electrical wiring work in New South Wales needs an electrical licence or certificate.14
- Local training
- TAFE NSW has locations at Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Kempsey, Taree, Great Lakes and Macksville.15
Engineers and technical staff
Civil engineers, technical officers, drafters and technicians for councils, consultancies and contractors.
- Demand
- Engineering, ICT and science technicians averaged 20 ads a month and engineers 12.8
- Shortage
- Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer and Mechanical Engineer are each rated in shortage nationally in 2026.11
- Pay
- Where the Professional Employees Award covers the role, a graduate engineer with a four or five-year degree earns at least $34.57 an hour from 1 July 2026.16 Civil engineering professionals nationally earned a median $59 an hour in May 2025.17
- Registration
- Professional engineering work on class 2, 3 and 9c buildings in New South Wales needs a registered engineer or one's direct supervision.18
Business, community services and administration
Accountants, office managers, administration staff, receptionists, and social and welfare professionals for practices, councils and community organisations.
- Demand
- Legal, social and welfare professionals averaged 242 ads a month, general-inquiry clerks, call-centre workers and receptionists 68, numerical clerks 24 and business, finance and human resource professionals 22.8
- What to put in your brief
- The qualification or systems needed, the hours, the reporting line and whether the role covers more than one town.
- How we help
- We build the qualifications you need into the brief, ask candidates about them and their experience in similar organisations, and talk with candidates about the hours and the travel between towns.
- Part-time roles
- Tell us if the role could suit part-time hours. It widens the pool, especially for experienced people.
Hiring graduates on the Mid North Coast
Charles Sturt University has a campus in Port Macquarie, and TAFE NSW has locations at Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Kempsey, Taree, Great Lakes and Macksville.15 Graduates who trained locally already know the towns and the employers. Tell us who will support them in their first year, and we'll make that a central part of our conversations with them.
How we help you hire on the Mid North Coast
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Getting here and moving here
Port Macquarie is a four-hour drive north of Sydney, with daily Qantas and Rex flights into its airport,19 which helps when you're recruiting someone from Sydney or Brisbane.
For health, aged care, disability, education, early childhood and council roles in Port Macquarie, Kempsey or the MidCoast, the NSW Government's Welcome Experience offers essential workers and their families free help to relocate and settle in.20 Tell us about any housing help or relocation allowance you can add. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for work on the Mid North Coast?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us which towns suit you, your trade or profession, whether you want full-time or part-time work and when you could start. Locals, graduates and people moving from the city are all welcome, and we'll call you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next Mid North Coast hire
Tell us the role, the town, the hours, any registration or licence it needs and your ideal start date.
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Does Hire Australia have an office in Port Macquarie?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for regional employers across Australia, including Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Kempsey, Taree, Forster and Tuncurry. We search first among people who live or trained on the Mid North Coast, then among people planning a move there, and you decide who to interview and hire.
Is it hard to recruit staff on the Mid North Coast?
Less so than in some regions, but it's still a challenge. In the year to August 2026, 33% of recruiting employers here had difficulty filling a role, against 44% across regional New South Wales.2 The main reasons were too few suitable applicants and gaps in technical skills. Hire Australia screens closely for both.
Can Hire Australia recruit for part-time health and aged-care roles?
Yes, as long as the role is permanent. 51% of health and social assistance workers across the Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton statistical areas worked part-time in the four-quarter average to February 2026,1 so part-time hours can widen the pool. Tell Hire Australia the hours, shifts and registration the role needs, and we look for nurses, allied health and support workers who want that pattern.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia?
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. Hire Australia applies the same terms from Kempsey to Forster.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff on the Mid North Coast?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent full-time or part-time roles. We don’t supply labour hire, agency nurses or temps to Mid North Coast employers, and candidates never work on our payroll. We find and screen people for your vacancy, introduce those who fit, and you employ them.
Can I register with Hire Australia if I want to move to Port Macquarie?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us which towns you're considering, your skills and experience, whether you want full-time or part-time work and when you could move. We'll talk with you about suitable permanent roles on the Mid North Coast and about the practical side of the move.
Sources (20)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Region Industry profile: Mid North Coast Employment Region. Published 15 April 2026. Data: February 2026, four-quarter average; median age: Census 2021; covers the Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour–Grafton SA4s. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment trends and employers' needs: State and Regional Snapshot update, New South Wales combined. Released 22 September 2026. Data: Year to August 2026, 107 responding employers, unweighted; small regional sample, interpret with caution. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, SALM Smoothed LGA Datafiles (ASGS 2025) - June quarter 2026. Data: June quarter 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Mid North Coast Local Health District, About us. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Mid North Coast Local Health District, Hospitals. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (Hunter New England Local Health District), About Hunter New England Local Health District. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (Department of Regional NSW), MidCoast Regional Economic Development Strategy - 2023 Update. Data: 2021 (employment); REDS published February 2023. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index: Internet Vacancies, ANZSCO2 Occupations, GCCSA and SA4 Regions - September 2026. September data released 21 October 2026. Data: September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year (Population estimates and components by LGA, 2024 to 2025). Released 31 March 2026. Data: 30 June 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (Department of Regional NSW), Hastings Macleay Regional Economic Development Strategy - 2023 Update. Data: 2021 (employment); REDS published February 2023. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 ratings, ANZSCO 2022 sheet. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 29 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide - Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award [MA000025]. Published 7 August 2026. Data: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile, ANZSCO 3411 Electricians. Data: May 2025, ABS Employee Earnings and Hours (customised report), national median for full-time employees. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading), Electrical licences and certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE NSW, TAFE NSW locations. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide - Professional Employees Award [MA000065]. Published 24 June 2026. Data: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation profile, ANZSCO 2332 Civil Engineering Professionals. Data: May 2025, ABS Employee Earnings and Hours (customised report), national median. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (Building Commission NSW), Professional engineer obligations when working on regulated buildings. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Destination NSW (Visit NSW), Port Macquarie. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government, The Welcome Experience. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑