South Coast and Snowy Monaro recruitment: trade, technical and professional staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help employers in Batemans Bay, Moruya, Narooma, Bega, Merimbula, Eden, Cooma and Jindabyne hire tradespeople, health professionals, engineers and managers, from graduates to experienced people. In small towns with few people out of work, we look locally first and then reach people who would move for the right role.
The South Coast and Snowy Monaro at a glance
- people live in the Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and Snowy Monaro council areas
- 100,626
- 41,309, 36,921 and 22,396 people respectively, 30 June 2025.1
- unemployment rate in the Snowy Monaro
- 1.7%
- Smoothed estimate, June quarter 2026. Bega Valley was 3.4% and Eurobodalla 4.3%.2
- staff work for Southern NSW Local Health District
- Over 3,000
- Across 15 sites on the coast and inland, including nine hospitals.3
- of recruiting employers in regional New South Wales had difficulty filling a role
- 44%
- Year to August 2026. No survey figure is published for this region on its own.4
Three small labour markets
This region is really three markets. The Eurobodalla coast runs from Batemans Bay through Moruya to Narooma. The Bega Valley takes in Bega, Merimbula and Eden. Inland, the Snowy Monaro centres on Cooma and Jindabyne. Each has its own employers, and a candidate in one may not travel to another.
All three are tight. Unemployment was 1.7% in the Snowy Monaro, 3.4% in the Bega Valley and 4.3% in Eurobodalla in the June quarter 2026,2 so many hires mean persuading someone to change jobs or move house.
Who are the region's biggest employers?
Tourism and health care are the largest engine industries on the far south coast, followed by manufacturing, where dairy product manufacturing is a particular strength, and agriculture.5 Health projects include the $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital, now under construction.6 Southern NSW Local Health District has more than 3,000 staff across the coast and inland.3
On the Monaro, alpine tourism leads, with agriculture, forestry, energy generation and manufacturing behind it.7 Snowy Hydro, based in Cooma, is building Snowy 2.0, a pumped-hydro project with 2,200 megawatts of capacity.8
Jobs in the main engine industries, 2021, as set out in the Far South Coast (Bega Valley and Eurobodalla) and Snowy Monaro regional economic development strategies (2023 update).5,7
| Area and industry | Jobs, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Far South Coast: tourism | 6,745 |
| Far South Coast: health care | 4,795 |
| Far South Coast: manufacturing | 1,449 |
| Far South Coast: agriculture, forestry and fishing | 1,378 |
| Snowy Monaro: tourism | 3,005 |
| Snowy Monaro: agriculture and forestry | 954 |
| Snowy Monaro: energy generation | 368 |
| Snowy Monaro: manufacturing | 311 |
Which jobs are advertised in the wider region?
Job-ad counts are published only for the much larger Capital Region statistical area, which also takes in Queanbeyan, Goulburn and Yass, so treat this as a guide to the mix, not the region's own total. Nurses and doctors lead by a wide margin.9
Online job ads a month by occupation group, Capital Region statistical area (includes Queanbeyan, Goulburn, Yass and the far south coast), three-month average to September 2026 (all occupations: 1,453).9
| Occupation group | Job ads a month |
|---|---|
| Medical practitioners and nurses | 284 |
| Legal, social and welfare professionals | 166 |
| Carers and aides | 112 |
| Automotive and engineering trades | 67 |
| Sales assistants and salespersons | 66 |
| General-inquiry clerks, call-centre workers and receptionists | 65 |
How hard is it to hire here?
There's no published employer survey for this region alone. Its employment region includes Canberra, which would skew any figure. Across regional New South Wales, 44% of recruiting employers had difficulty filling a role in the year to August 2026.4
Local conditions add to the challenge: small towns, low unemployment, long distances and seasonal demand in tourism. So we plan on searching wider and talking about housing and the move from the first call.
Which roles do we recruit on the South Coast and the Snowy Monaro?
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
- Health care supported 4,795 jobs on the far south coast in 2021.5
- Big employer
- Southern NSW Local Health District has more than 3,000 staff across 15 sites.3 The $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital is under construction.6
- 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.10
- What to put in your brief
- The registration needed, the facility and town, the roster and any housing or relocation help.
Trades and construction
Electricians, carpenters, plumbers, mechanics and maintenance tradespeople for builders, councils, energy projects and service businesses.
- Shortage
- Electrician (General), Diesel Motor Mechanic, Carpenter and Plumber (General) are each rated in shortage nationally in 2026.10
- 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.11 Full-time electricians nationally earned a median $2,191 a week in May 2025.12
- Licence
- Electrical wiring work in New South Wales needs an electrical licence or certificate.13
- Local training
- TAFE NSW has locations at Batemans Bay, Moruya, Bega, Cooma and Jindabyne.14
Engineering, energy and technical staff
Civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, technicians and technical officers for councils, energy and infrastructure.
- Energy
- Energy generation supported 368 jobs in the Snowy Monaro in 2021,7 and Snowy 2.0 adds 2,200 megawatts of pumped-hydro capacity.8
- Shortage
- Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer and Mechanical Engineer are each rated in shortage nationally in 2026.10
- 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 2026.15 Civil engineering professionals nationally earned a median $59 an hour in May 2025.16
- What to put in your brief
- The discipline, the base town, how often the person travels to sites and who reviews their work.
Hospitality, tourism and food production
Hotel, venue and restaurant managers, qualified chefs, and supervisors and technical staff for dairy and food manufacturers.
- Food manufacturing
- Manufacturing supported 1,449 jobs on the far south coast, with dairy product manufacturing a particular strength.5
- Shortage
- Chef is rated in shortage nationally in 2026.10
- Seasons
- Alpine employers need people through the snow season and coastal employers through summer. We recruit permanent roles, so tell us how the work and hours change across the year.
Hiring graduates on the South Coast and the Monaro
The University of Wollongong has campuses in the Bega Valley and the Eurobodalla, where the campus is at Hanging Rock,17,18 and TAFE NSW has locations at Batemans Bay, Moruya, Bega, Cooma and Jindabyne.14 Local graduates already live here, which removes the hardest part of many regional hires: the move. Tell us who will support them in their first year.
How we help you hire on the South Coast and the Monaro
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Distances, housing and moving to the region
Batemans Bay is a four-hour drive from Sydney and two hours from Canberra, and there are flights into Moruya Airport.19 Cooma is a little over four hours from Sydney and about 80 minutes from Canberra,20 and Perisher and Thredbo are about 30 minutes from Jindabyne.21 Canberra is often the nearest large pool of candidates.
Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and Snowy Monaro are all in the NSW Government's Welcome Experience, which gives essential workers in health, aged care, disability, education, early childhood and councils, and their families, free help to relocate and settle in.22 Tell us about any housing you can provide; in small towns it can decide the hire. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for work on the South Coast or the Snowy Monaro?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us which towns you'd live in, your trade or profession and when you could move. Locals, graduates and people coming from Canberra, Sydney or interstate are all welcome, and we'll contact you about permanent roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next South Coast or Monaro hire
Tell us the role, the town, the hours or season, any housing you can offer 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.
Does Hire Australia have an office on the South Coast?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for regional employers across Australia, including Batemans Bay, Moruya, Narooma, Bega, Merimbula, Eden, Cooma and Jindabyne. We search first among locals, then among people in Canberra, Sydney and elsewhere who are ready to move, and you choose who to interview and hire.
Is it hard to recruit staff on the South Coast and in the Snowy Monaro?
Usually. Unemployment was 1.7% in the Snowy Monaro and 3.4% in the Bega Valley in the June quarter 2026,2 so few skilled people are looking for work. Hire Australia widens the search to people willing to relocate and raises housing and the move in the first conversation.
Does Hire Australia recruit seasonal staff for the snowfields?
No. Hire Australia recruits permanent staff, including managers, chefs, tradespeople and technical staff for alpine employers who need people all year. We don’t fill seasonal or casual roles. If your permanent role is busier in winter, tell us how the hours change, and we look for people 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 Batemans Bay to Bombala and the Snowy Mountains.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff on the South Coast?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire, temps or seasonal crews to South Coast or Monaro employers, and candidates never work on our payroll. We find and screen people for your vacancy, introduce those who fit, and you make the offer and employ them.
Can I register with Hire Australia if I'm thinking of moving to the South Coast?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us which towns interest you, your skills and experience and when you could move. We'll talk with you about permanent roles on the coast or the Monaro, and about practical points such as housing, distances and any relocation help an employer offers.
Sources (22)
- 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 ↑
- 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 (Southern NSW Local Health District), About Southern NSW Local Health District. Data: District page as accessed 1 November 2026. 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; Rest of NSW weighted; regional samples of 52 to 284 employers, unweighted, interpret with caution. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (Department of Regional NSW), Far South Coast Regional Economic Development Strategy - 2023 Update. Data: 2021 (employment); REDS published February 2023. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Health Infrastructure, New Eurobodalla Regional Hospital development. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government (Department of Regional NSW), Snowy Monaro Regional Economic Development Strategy - 2023 Update. Data: 2021 (employment); REDS published February 2023. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Snowy Hydro, Snowy 2.0: About. 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 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 ↑
- University of Wollongong, UOW Eurobodalla. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- University of Wollongong, UOW locations. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Destination NSW (Visit NSW), Batemans Bay and Eurobodalla. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Destination NSW (Visit NSW), Cooma. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Destination NSW (Visit NSW), Jindabyne. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Government, The Welcome Experience. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑