Limestone Coast recruitment: professional, technical and trade staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help employers in Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Millicent, Bordertown and across the Limestone Coast hire professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people. We start with people who already live in the region and widen the search, including into western Victoria, when the role needs it.
The Limestone Coast at a glance
- of recruiting employers in the Murray and South East had difficulty hiring
- 52%
- The highest of South Australia's employment regions, year to August 2026.1
- of the region's council residents live in the City of Mount Gambier
- 40%
- 28,057 of about 69,700 people across seven councils, 30 June 2025.2
- of South Australia's 2026 wine-grape crush came from Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wrattonbully
- 12.7%
- 72,906 tonnes of 573,252.3
How tight is the labour market on the Limestone Coast?
Unemployment is low right across the region. It is 4.1% in Mount Gambier and below 3% in Grant, Naracoorte Lucindale, Kingston, Robe and Tatiara, where it is just 1.4%.4 Few experienced people are out of work, so most hires mean persuading someone to change employer or to move.
Smoothed unemployment rate by council area, June quarter 2026.4
| Council area | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| City of Mount Gambier | 4.1% |
| Wattle Range | 3.3% |
| Grant | 2.6% |
| Naracoorte Lucindale | 2.6% |
| Kingston | 2.0% |
| Robe | 2.0% |
| Tatiara | 1.4% |
Who employs people on the Limestone Coast?
Across the Murray and South East employment region, which also takes in the Riverland, the Murraylands and the Fleurieu, farming, forestry and fishing is the largest employing industry, with 18,700 people, followed by health care and social assistance with 13,400. Manufacturing employs about 8,000.5
On the Limestone Coast, plantation forestry and timber processing are a defining industry. Mount Gambier sits in the heart of the Green Triangle, and South Australia's $16 million Forestry Centre of Excellence opened its building there in February 2026.6 Wine is the other big name: Coonawarra crushed 32,302 tonnes in 2026, Padthaway 26,391 and Wrattonbully 14,213.3
The Limestone Coast Local Health Network employs more than 1,800 people7 across Mount Gambier, Millicent, Naracoorte, Penola, Bordertown, Keith and Kingston.8 Councils, schools, food processors, farm machinery dealers, engineering workshops and professional firms fill out the picture.
Why is it hard to hire on the Limestone Coast?
In the year to August 2026, 49% of the 181 employers surveyed across the Murray and South East were recruiting or had recruited in the past month, and 52% of those found a role hard to fill, against 50% across regional South Australia.1 The most common reason was a lack of suitable applicants, followed by applicants without the technical skills, the location and too few applicants.1
So the gap is mostly skills and experience. The regional employment plan also points to limited affordable housing and people's difficulty getting to work.9 We screen for the skills first, then talk with candidates about the move.
Which roles do we recruit on the Limestone Coast?
Open a role type for demand, shortage, training and what to put in your brief. Shortage ratings are the 2026 national ratings; we count an occupation as in shortage when it is rated short nationally or in regional areas. Job-ad figures cover the South Australia - South East statistical area, which also includes the Murraylands, the Riverland, the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island.
Engineering, maintenance and electrical trades
Fitters, diesel motor mechanics, metal fabricators and electricians for timber processing, food manufacturing, farm machinery and engineering workshops.
- Demand
- Automotive and engineering trades averaged 40 online job ads a month, and electrotechnology and telecommunications trades 16, three-month average to September 2026.10
- Shortage
- Fitters, diesel motor mechanics, metal fabricators and electricians are all rated in shortage in 2026.11
- Registration
- Electrical, plumbing and gas fitting work needs a South Australian worker registration administered by Consumer and Business Services.12
- What to put in your brief
- The plant and equipment, shift pattern, call-outs and the tickets the work needs.
Nursing, allied health and care
Registered and enrolled nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. We also recruit health administration and management staff, and support workers including assistants in nursing and aged-care and disability support workers.
- Demand
- Medical practitioners and nurses drew 109 online job ads a month, carers and aides 79 and health diagnostic and therapy professionals 44, three-month average to September 2026.10
- Shortage
- Registered nurses in aged care, mental health, and critical care and emergency, midwives, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and aged or disabled carers (the ANZSCO occupation that includes disability support workers) are rated in shortage in 2026, and enrolled nurses are rated short in regional areas.11
- Local training
- Flinders University has a rural campus on the grounds of Mount Gambier Hospital, and more than 300 students a year come to the region for placements.13
- What to put in your brief
- The registration, the roster and on-call load, and whether the role covers more than one hospital or town.
Forestry, agriculture and wine
Foresters and forest scientists, agronomists, vineyard and winery staff, farm managers and technical staff.
- Demand
- Science professionals and veterinarians averaged 10 online job ads a month, farmers and farm managers 10 and skilled animal and horticultural workers 10, three-month average to September 2026.10
- Shortage
- Agronomists are rated in shortage in 2026; winemakers are not.11
- Local study
- The Forestry Centre of Excellence sits alongside Adelaide University's Mount Gambier campus and the city's TAFE campus.6
- What to put in your brief
- The crop, forest or vintage cycle, the seasonal peaks and how much field travel the role involves.
Business, engineering and community professionals
Accountants, civil engineers, office managers, social workers and community services staff for councils, practices and service organisations.
- Demand
- Legal, social and welfare professionals drew 58 online job ads a month and business, finance and human resource professionals 17, three-month average to September 2026.10
- Shortage
- Civil engineers are rated in shortage in 2026; general accountants are not.11
- Local training
- TAFE SA teaches at its Mount Gambier campus.14
- What to put in your brief
- The systems you use, who the person reports to and how much of the role is in the office.
Graduates on the Limestone Coast
How we help you hire on the Limestone Coast
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Moving to the Limestone Coast, from Adelaide or Victoria
Mount Gambier is about 430 kilometres from Adelaide, around five hours' drive from either Adelaide or Melbourne.15 The local health network also cares for residents of western Victoria,8 and many candidates in towns over the border see the Limestone Coast as close to home.
The regional employment plan names limited affordable housing.9 If you can offer accommodation, a relocation allowance or a vehicle, tell us and we raise it with every candidate who would be moving. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for work on the Limestone Coast?
Experienced tradespeople, nurses and allied health professionals, foresters, agronomists and office professionals, recent graduates and people planning a move to the region can all register with Hire Australia. Tell us the work you want and the towns you'd consider, and we'll talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next Limestone Coast hire
Tell us about the role, the town, 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.
Why is it so hard to recruit on the Limestone Coast?
Mostly skills. In the year to August 2026, 52% of recruiting employers across the Murray and South East had difficulty filling a role, the highest share in South Australia, and a lack of suitable applicants was the main reason.1 Unemployment is low, so Hire Australia searches for experienced people in work as well as those looking.
Will Hire Australia search in western Victoria for a Mount Gambier role?
Yes, when it suits the role. Mount Gambier is close to the Victorian border, so Hire Australia searches both sides of the border as well as the Limestone Coast itself. We talk with candidates from Victoria about any South Australian registration the job needs and what the move or the drive involves.
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. Briefing Hire Australia on a Limestone Coast role costs nothing, whichever town the job is based in.
Does Hire Australia have an office in Mount Gambier?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for employers across regional Australia, including Mount Gambier and the rest of the Limestone Coast. Our search starts with people who live, study or train in the region, along with candidates from western Victoria, Adelaide and elsewhere who are planning a move.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, 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. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.
Can I register with Hire Australia for jobs on the Limestone Coast?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us your skills, the work you want, when you could start and which towns you'd consider, from Mount Gambier and Millicent to Naracoorte, Penola and Bordertown. We'll talk with you about suitable roles and about the practical side of a move.
Sources (15)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment trends and employers' needs: State and Regional Snapshot update, South Australia. Released 22 September 2026. Data: REOS, 12 months to August 2026; small regional samples (57 to 403 employers, unweighted); interpret with caution. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25, Estimated resident population and components by LGA. Released 31 March 2026. Data: 30 June 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Wine Australia, for the South Australian Wine Industry Association and Wine Grape Council of South Australia, The SA Winegrape Crush Survey 2026. Published July 2026. Data: 2026 vintage; 282 respondents; higher non-response may explain some regional falls. 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 ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Region Industry Profiles, South Australia. Published 15 April 2026. Data: ABS Labour Force Survey, Detailed, four-quarter average to February 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Adelaide University, New Forestry Centre of Excellence opens in Mount Gambier (published 12 February 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- SA Health, Working at Limestone Coast Local Health Network. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- SA Health, Limestone Coast Local Health Network. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Local Jobs Plan, Murray and South East Employment Region (July 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 2-digit occupations by GCCSA and SA4 regions, September 2026. September data released 21 October 2026. Data: Three-month average to 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 ↑
- Australian Government, Australian Business Licence and Information Service, Plumbing, Gas Fitting or Electrical Workers Registration, South Australia (administering agency: Consumer and Business Services). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Flinders University, Regional SA locations (Flinders University Rural and Remote Health SA: Murray Bridge, Mount Gambier, Nuriootpa, Renmark, Victor Harbor). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- TAFE SA, TAFE SA locations: Limestone Coast (campus Mount Gambier). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Adelaide University, Mount Gambier Campus (about 430 km from Adelaide, around five hours from Adelaide or Melbourne). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑