Wagga Wagga and Riverina recruitment: professional, technical and trade staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help employers in Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Leeton, Tumut and the towns between hire professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people, for hospitals, food and wine processors, timber mills, councils, and energy and rail projects.
Wagga Wagga and the Riverina at a glance
- of Riverina residents live in Wagga Wagga council area
- 42%
- 69,108 of 166,404 people in the Riverina SA4, 30 June 2025.1
- of jobs are in health care and social assistance
- 19%
- 28,400 of 149,700 employed people in the Murray Riverina employment region, four-quarter average to February 2026.2
- of employers who were hiring found it difficult
- 55%
- Murray Riverina employers recruiting or who had recruited in the past month, year to August 2026; 44% in the rest of NSW.3
- unemployment in Wagga Wagga
- 3.6%
- Smoothed rate for Wagga Wagga council area, June quarter 2026.4
Who are the Riverina's biggest employers?
Hospitals lead. Murrumbidgee Local Health District has more than 5,000 staff across 33 hospitals and 12 primary health care centres.5 Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is its referral hospital, providing critical care, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and rehabilitation,6 and the new $250 million Griffith Base Hospital opened in June 2025 with 400 staff.7
Defence is Wagga's other big presence. RAAF Base Wagga hosts the Air Force's Ground Academy, with about 1,200 ADF members, students, civilians and contractors on the base,8 and the Army Recruit Training Centre is at Kapooka, near Wagga Wagga.9
Two national projects are under way. HumeLink is upgrading the Wagga Wagga substation and building new substations at Gugaa and Maragle, with construction from September 2025 and completion proposed for 2027.10 Inland Rail's Albury to Illabo section includes works in Wagga Wagga and Junee, also due in 2027,11 and the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics precinct sits beside the Bomen Industrial Estate on the rail corridor.12
Employed people in the five largest industries, Murray Riverina employment region (Riverina and Murray SA4s), four-quarter average to February 2026.2
| Industry | Employed people |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 28,400 |
| Education and training | 16,700 |
| Retail trade | 15,700 |
| Construction | 11,200 |
| Public administration and safety | 11,200 |
Where do employers hire across the Riverina?
Each centre has a different mix. Health care is the largest industry for Wagga Wagga residents, with public administration and safety third.13 Processing makes manufacturing the largest industry for Griffith and Leeton residents.13 In the Snowy Valleys, softwood timber is the largest employer, with mills in Tumut and Tumbarumba.14 In the June quarter 2026, unemployment was 2.6% in Griffith and 5.8% in Narrandera.4
Residents of each council area at 30 June 2025,15 smoothed unemployment in the June quarter 2026,4 and the largest industry of employed residents in August 2021.13
| Council area | Main centre | Residents, 30 June 2025 | Unemployment, June quarter 2026 | Largest industry of residents, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagga Wagga | Wagga Wagga | 69,108 | 3.6% | Health care, 18% |
| Griffith | Griffith | 27,458 | 2.6% | Manufacturing, 19%; agriculture 12% |
| Snowy Valleys | Tumut | 15,058 | 3.3% | Agriculture and forestry, 16%; manufacturing 13% |
| Leeton | Leeton | 11,475 | 3.8% | Manufacturing, 17% |
Which jobs are most advertised in the Riverina?
Doctors and nurses are the most advertised group by a wide margin, and automotive and engineering trades sit near the top of the list, ahead of most office roles.16
Online job advertisements for selected occupation groups, Riverina SA4, three-month average to September 2026 (1,238 ads a month across all occupations).16
| Occupation group | Job ads a month |
|---|---|
| Medical practitioners and nurses | 164 |
| Legal, social and welfare professionals | 86 |
| Automotive and engineering trades | 80 |
| Carers and aides | 79 |
| Health diagnostic and therapy professionals | 35 |
| Engineers | 27 |
How hard is it to hire in the Riverina?
More than half of hiring employers struggle. 110 employers in the Murray Riverina employment region answered a national employer survey in the year to August 2026. Of the 45% who were recruiting or had recruited in the past month, 55% had difficulty filling a role, compared with 44% in the rest of NSW. It is a small sample, so read it as a guide.3
Working conditions or hours and the regional location were among the reasons most often given, alongside applicants without the technical skills.3 Tell us the shift pattern, any roster or travel, and what you offer people who move, and we raise them with candidates in the first conversation.
Which roles do we recruit in Wagga Wagga, Griffith and the Riverina?
Open a role type for demand, training, pay and what to put in your brief. Shortage ratings are the 2026 national ratings for each occupation; we count an occupation as in shortage when it is rated short nationally or in regional areas.
Health, aged care and disability support
Registered and enrolled nurses, allied health professionals, health managers and administrators, and support workers such as assistants in nursing and disability and aged-care support workers.
- Demand
- Medical practitioners and nurses averaged 164 online job ads a month, carers and aides 79 and health diagnostic and therapy professionals 35, three-month average to September 2026.16
- Shortage
- Aged-care registered nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and aged or disabled carers are rated in shortage nationally in 2026; enrolled nurses are rated short in regional areas.17
- Local training
- TAFE NSW teaches nursing at Wagga Wagga,18 and its Griffith campus has a simulated hospital for healthcare students.19
- What to put in your brief
- The registration the role needs, the hospital or service, the shift and on-call pattern, and any accommodation or relocation help.
Trades and maintenance
Qualified electricians, diesel and heavy-vehicle mechanics, fitters and carpenters for processors, contractors, councils and service businesses.
- Demand
- Automotive and engineering trades averaged 80 online job ads a month and electrotechnology and telecommunications trades 22, three-month average to September 2026.16
- Shortage
- Electricians, diesel motor mechanics, general fitters and carpenters are rated in shortage nationally in 2026.17
- Pay (electricians)
- Award minimum: $1,223.11 a week where the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award covers the role (Electrical worker grade 5, including industry, tool and licence allowances, from 1 July 2026).20 Market median: $2,191 a week (full-time electricians nationally, May 2025).21
- Local training
- TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga, the largest campus in the Riverina, has automotive workshops and electrotechnology spaces.18
- How we help
- We build the licences and tickets you need into the brief and ask candidates what they hold and the equipment they have worked on; you confirm licences on the regulator’s register. More on our trades recruitment.
Engineering, energy and infrastructure
Graduate and experienced civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, drafters, project engineers and site staff for transmission, rail, roads and industrial work.
- Projects
- HumeLink's substation work at Wagga Wagga, Gugaa and Maragle and the Inland Rail works in Wagga Wagga and Junee both run to 2027.10,11
- Demand
- Engineers averaged 27 online job ads a month and engineering, ICT and science technicians 26, three-month average to September 2026.16
- Shortage
- Civil, electrical and mechanical engineers and civil engineering draftspersons are rated in shortage nationally in 2026.17
- What to put in your brief
- The discipline, any chartership or design sign-off, the site and roster, and whether the role is based in Wagga or travels.
- How we help
- We talk with engineers about their project experience and the move. More on our engineering and technical recruitment.
Agriculture, food and wine processing
Agronomists, farm and production managers, quality and food safety staff, maintenance trades and agribusiness staff for growers, wineries and processors around Griffith and Leeton.
- Local economies
- Manufacturing employed 19% of working Griffith residents and agriculture 12% in 2021; in Leeton, manufacturing employed 17%.13
- Shortage
- Agronomists are rated in shortage nationally in 2026.17
- Local training
- TAFE NSW Griffith teaches wine industry operations, agriculture and construction trades.19
- What to put in your brief
- The site, the season and shift pattern, the machinery or processing lines, and any food safety or quality systems the person will run.
Forestry and timber
Forestry professionals, mill managers, production supervisors, maintenance trades and safety staff for plantations and timber processing around Tumut and Tumbarumba.
- Local economy
- Softwood timber is the Snowy Valleys' largest employer.14 Agriculture, forestry and fishing employed 16% of working residents in 2021, and manufacturing 13%.13
- Local training
- TAFE NSW Tumut houses the Forest Industry Training Centre, which delivers diploma-level forestry training.22
- What to put in your brief
- The mill or plantation, the shift roster, the machinery and tickets, and the town the person would live in.
- How we help
- We talk with candidates about the site, the shifts and life in a small timber town before we introduce them.
Hiring graduates in Wagga Wagga
Charles Sturt University's Wagga Wagga campus is its largest in regional New South Wales.23 A graduate hire works best when the employer can offer structured support in the first year. Tell us who will guide the person, and we talk with graduates about that support and their plans in the Riverina.
How we help you hire in the Riverina
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Travel, rosters and relocation across the Riverina
Wagga Wagga is about 460 kilometres south-west of Sydney, and the train to Albury takes about an hour and a quarter.23 Griffith is 642 kilometres from Sydney by road, almost seven hours' drive.24 On HumeLink, construction workers are housed at accommodation camps at Tarcutta and Kunama.10 For Albury, Corowa and Deniliquin, see our Albury and the Murray guide.
Tell us the base town, the travel and any roster, and we discuss them with candidates during screening. If your preferred candidate is moving to the Riverina, we raise any relocation support you offer early. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for work in the Riverina?
Experienced professionals and tradespeople, graduates and people planning a move to Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Leeton or Tumut can all register with Hire Australia. Tell us the work you want and the towns you would consider, and we'll talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next Riverina hire
Tell us about the role, the town or site, the shifts and when you need someone to start.
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.
Is it hard to recruit staff in Wagga Wagga and the Riverina?
Often, yes. 55% of Murray Riverina employers who were recruiting or had recruited in the past month reported difficulty in the year to August 2026, above the 44% for the rest of NSW. Conditions, hours and the regional location were common reasons.3 Hire Australia, a regional recruitment specialist, talks with candidates about those points before it introduces anyone.
Do you recruit in Griffith, Leeton and Tumut as well as Wagga Wagga?
Yes. Hire Australia recruits professional, technical and trade staff for employers in Griffith, Leeton, Tumut, Narrandera, Cootamundra, Temora and the smaller Riverina towns, as well as Wagga Wagga. Tell us whether the person will be based in one town or travel between sites, and we build that into the search.
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 whether the role is in Wagga Wagga, Griffith or a smaller Riverina town.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff in Wagga Wagga?
No. Hire Australia recruits people that Wagga Wagga and Riverina employers employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire, temps or contractors, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them from day one.
Do you have an office in Wagga Wagga?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for employers across regional Australia, including Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Leeton and Tumut. Our search starts with people who live, study or train in the Riverina, along with candidates planning a move there. We work with you by phone, video and email.
Can I register with Hire Australia if I'm moving to Wagga Wagga or Griffith?
Yes. Experienced professionals, tradespeople and graduates who live in the Riverina or plan to move there can register with Hire Australia. Tell us the work you do, the towns you would consider and when you could start, and we'll talk with you when a role with a Riverina employer fits.
Sources (24)
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year (Population estimates by SA2 and above, 2001 to 2025). Released 31 March 2026. Data: 30 June 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Region Industry profile: Murray Riverina Employment Region. Published 15 April 2026. Data: February 2026, four-quarter average. 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, 110 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 ↑
- NSW Government, About Murrumbidgee Local Health District. District page (undated): over 5,000 healthcare staff; 33 hospitals and 12 primary health care centres. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Health, Wagga Wagga Health Service (service directory). Directory page (undated): Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is a referral hospital with critical care, surgical, paediatric, obstetric and rehabilitation care. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Health, New Griffith Base Hospital set to open its doors (media release). Released 16 June 2025: $250 million hospital opening 26 June 2025; 400 staff. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Royal Australian Air Force, Establishment of RAAF Base Wagga Wagga. History page (undated): Headquarters Ground Academy; about 1,200 ADF members, students, civilians and contractors. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Minister for Defence Personnel, Home of the soldier marks 70th anniversary (media release). Released 12 November 2021: the Army Recruit Training Centre is at Blamey Barracks in Kapooka, near Wagga Wagga. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Transgrid, HumeLink. Page (news to 22 October 2026): Wagga Wagga substation upgrade; Gugaa and Maragle substations; camps at Tarcutta and Kunama; built September 2025 to 2027. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Inland Rail, Albury to Illabo project overview (July 2026). Overview current at June 2026: 185 km section; works in Wagga Wagga and Junee on track for completion in 2027. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government, Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct. Precinct page (undated): Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics precinct beside the Bomen Industrial Estate, on the Inland Rail corridor. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, G54 Industry of employment by age by sex, Local Government Areas. Data: Census night, 10 August 2021. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Snowy Valleys Council, About the Snowy Valleys Region. Council page (undated): softwood timber is the Snowy Valleys' largest employer, centred on mills in Tumut and Tumbarumba. 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 ↑
- 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 ↑
- 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 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE NSW, Wagga Wagga campus. Campus page: largest campus in the Riverina; trades, nursing, business; automotive workshops and electrotechnology spaces. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE NSW, Griffith campus. Campus page: wine industry operations, construction trades, agriculture and healthcare; simulated hospital. Accessed 1 November 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 ↑
- TAFE NSW, Tumut campus. Campus page: houses the Forest Industry Training Centre, which delivers diploma-level forestry training. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Department of Education, Inland southern NSW: Wagga Wagga area (Teach NSW). Updated 17 August 2026: about 460 km south-west of Sydney; train to Albury about 1 hour 15 minutes; largest CSU campus in regional NSW. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Department of Education, Inland southern NSW: Griffith area (Teach NSW). Last modified 26 February 2026: Griffith is almost seven hours from Sydney via the M31 (642 km). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑