Recruitment across regional Victoria
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help employers across regional Victoria, from Geelong and Warrnambool to Mildura, Wodonga and the Gippsland coast, hire professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people. We recruit for regional employers across Australia, too.
Regional Victoria at a glance
Fewer than one in four Victorians live outside Greater Melbourne,1 yet the employers there were more likely to struggle with a hire than the state as a whole.2
- of Victorians live outside Greater Melbourne
- 23.2%
- 1,638,269 people at 30 June 2025.1
- of recruiting employers in regional Victoria had difficulty filling a role
- 42%
- Year to August 2026, against 37% across the whole state.2
- of recruiting South Coast employers had difficulty, the highest rate in regional Victoria
- 56%
- Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton and Colac area, year to August 2026.2
- occupations in shortage are short only in regional areas
- 15 of 279
- 2026 ratings. 279 of 1,021 occupations are in shortage nationally or in regional areas; the 15 include enrolled nurses, hospital pharmacists and construction estimators.3
Which industries drive each region of Victoria?
Health care is the largest employing industry in every region except the Wimmera and the Mallee, where agriculture leads.4 Manufacturing ranks second on the South Coast, where Portland's aluminium smelter is the largest employer.4,5
Unemployment runs from 1.8% in Moyne to 7.6% in Central Goldfields,6 so in the tightest markets we search well beyond the council area.
Population at 30 June 20257, largest industries by employment region (February 2026)4, online job ads a month by statistical region (three-month average to September 2026)8 and smoothed unemployment by council area6.
| Region | Main council areas (population) | What drives it | Job ads a month | Unemployment (June quarter 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geelong and Barwon | Greater Geelong 295,052; Surf Coast 40,265; Colac Otway 22,209 | Health care, construction, retail, education, public administration. | 1,690 (Geelong SA4; excludes Colac Otway) | Greater Geelong 5.1%; Surf Coast 1.9% |
| Ballarat and the Central Highlands | Ballarat 122,661; Hepburn 17,011; Central Goldfields 13,753 | Health care, education, construction, manufacturing, retail. | 937 | Ballarat 4.2%; Central Goldfields 7.6% |
| Bendigo and Loddon Campaspe | Greater Bendigo 126,568; Macedon Ranges 54,464; Campaspe 37,954 | Health care, retail, construction, education, manufacturing. | 908 (Bendigo SA4; excludes Campaspe) | Greater Bendigo 4.2%; Campaspe 3.0% |
| Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley | Greater Shepparton 69,865; Moira 30,866 | Health care, retail, construction, education, manufacturing. | 850 (Shepparton SA4; includes Campaspe) | Greater Shepparton 4.2%; Moira 3.1% |
| Wodonga and North East Victoria | Wodonga 44,717; Wangaratta 30,089; Benalla 14,581 | Health care, retail, construction; Army logistics training at Bandiana.9 | 937 (Hume) | Wodonga 4.3%; Benalla 4.6% |
| Gippsland | Latrobe 79,112; Baw Baw 62,784; East Gippsland 49,669 | Health care, education, construction, retail, manufacturing; a declared offshore wind area.10 | 1,262 | Latrobe 5.9%; Baw Baw 2.7% |
| Mildura and the Mallee | Mildura 57,309; Swan Hill 20,962 | Agriculture, health care, education, construction. | 923 (North West, with the Wimmera) | Mildura 2.7%; Swan Hill 1.9% |
| Horsham and the Wimmera | Horsham 20,252; Northern Grampians 11,804 | Agriculture, health care; most of Victoria's mineral sand deposits.11 | Counted with Mildura | Horsham 2.0%; Northern Grampians 2.3% |
| Warrnambool and South West Victoria | Warrnambool 36,255; Glenelg 19,908; Southern Grampians 16,483 | Health care, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, agriculture. | 761 | Warrnambool 2.1%; Glenelg 3.2% |
How hard is it to hire in regional Victoria?
In the year to August 2026, 42% of employers outside Greater Melbourne were recruiting or had recruited in the past month, and 42% of those found a role hard to fill, against 37% across the whole state.2
The rate varies a lot by region. More than half of recruiting employers had difficulty on the South Coast and in the Wimmera and Mallee, where the regional location itself was among the main reasons. About a quarter did in Gippsland, Ballarat and around Geelong.2 So we ask about the town, the working pattern and any help with a move in our first conversation.
Share of recruiting employers who had difficulty filling a vacancy, 12 months to August 2026, by employment region; regional samples are small.2
| Employment region | % with difficulty |
|---|---|
| South Coast (Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton) | 56% |
| Wimmera Mallee (Mildura, Horsham) | 52% |
| Bendigo | 48% |
| Goulburn/Murray (Shepparton, Wodonga) | 41% |
| Barwon (Geelong) | 27% |
| Ballarat | 26% |
| Gippsland | 25% |
| All of regional Victoria | 42% |
| Victoria, including Melbourne (comparison) | 37% |
Our regional Victoria guides
Each guide covers the local labour market, the jobs employers advertise most and how we recruit there.
Ballarat and Central Highlands
Hiring in Ballarat, Daylesford, Maryborough or Ararat? Local job data, the roles we recruit and how a regional recruitment specialist can help.
Bendigo and Loddon Campaspe
Hiring in Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton or Echuca? See how hard the region is to hire in and how a regional recruitment specialist can help.
Geelong and Barwon
Recruiting in Geelong, the Bellarine or the Surf Coast? Local hiring data, the roles we fill and how a regional recruitment specialist helps.
Gippsland
Hiring in Traralgon, Warragul, Sale or Bairnsdale? Gippsland hiring data, the roles we fill and how a regional recruitment specialist helps.
Horsham and Wimmera
Hiring in Horsham, Stawell or Nhill? Wimmera hiring data, the roles we fill and how a regional recruitment specialist helps you attract people to move.
Mildura and Mallee
Hiring in Mildura, Swan Hill or Kerang? Mallee hiring data, the roles we fill and how a regional recruitment specialist finds people willing to move.
Shepparton and Goulburn Valley
Shepparton and Goulburn Valley recruitment for permanent professional, technical and trade roles, from a regional recruitment specialist.
Warrnambool and South West
Hiring in Warrnambool, Portland or Hamilton? South West hiring data, the roles we fill and how a regional recruitment specialist attracts people.
Wodonga and North East
Recruiting in Wodonga, Albury, Wangaratta or Benalla? Local hiring data, the roles we fill and how a regional recruitment specialist helps.
Which roles do you recruit in regional Victoria?
We recruit professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people. That includes qualified trades such as electricians, mechanics and plumbers, and graduate and experienced engineers and technical staff. Electricians, diesel motor mechanics, carpenters and civil, electrical and mechanical engineers are all rated in shortage nationally in 2026.3
Health is the biggest employer in most Victorian regions,4 so we also recruit registered and enrolled nurses, allied health professionals, health administrators and managers, and support workers such as assistants in nursing and disability and aged-care support workers. Office, finance and administration roles round out the list. See how we work with employers.
Hiring graduates in regional Victoria
Graduates can complete a degree or a TAFE qualification without leaving regional Victoria. Deakin University teaches at Geelong Waurn Ponds, Geelong Waterfront and Warrnambool.12 Federation University has four campuses in Ballarat and others at Churchill in Gippsland and in the Wimmera,13 and La Trobe University has regional campuses in Bendigo, Shepparton, Albury-Wodonga and Mildura.14
TAFE campuses run from The Gordon in Geelong15 and South West TAFE in Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland16 to TAFE Gippsland from Warragul to Bairnsdale17 and SuniTAFE in Mildura and Swan Hill.18 We talk with graduates about the work, the town and the support your team gives in the first year.
How we help you hire in regional Victoria
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
How do we handle distance, travel and relocation in regional Victoria?
Regional Victorian roles often cover a district rather than a single town: a service run across the Wimmera, a health service with several campuses, or a project in the Latrobe Valley. Tell us where the day starts, how often the person travels and whether there are overnight stays, and we build that into the search.
More people moved to regional Victoria from elsewhere in Australia than left it in 2024-25, a net gain of 7,777 residents.1 We talk with people planning that move as well as locals. Tell us about any relocation allowance, housing help or vehicle, and we raise it early 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 in regional Victoria?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us the work you want, the parts of Victoria you're open to and when you could start. Experienced people, recent graduates and people moving from Melbourne or interstate are all welcome, and we'll talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next regional Victoria hire
Tell us the role, the base town, any travel or roster, the salary range or award, any licences the work needs and when you need someone to start. We recruit for employers anywhere in regional Victoria and across Australia.
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.
Which parts of regional Victoria does Hire Australia recruit in?
All of it. Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist, and we recruit for employers anywhere in Victoria outside Greater Melbourne, from Geelong and Ballarat to Mildura, Wodonga, Gippsland and the South West. That area was home to 1,638,269 people at 30 June 2025.1 We recruit for regional employers across Australia too, so tell us the town even if it has no guide yet.
Is it hard to hire staff in regional Victoria?
Often. In the year to August 2026, 42% of recruiting employers outside Greater Melbourne had difficulty filling a role, against 37% statewide. It was hardest on the South Coast (56%) and in the Wimmera and Mallee (52%), where location was a main reason.2 Hire Australia builds the town, the working pattern and any move into the search from the start.
Does Hire Australia have an office in Victoria?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for employers across regional Victoria and the rest of Australia. We start each search with people who live, study or train in your region, along with people planning a move there, and we talk with you about the town and the role before we begin.
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 uses the same terms for roles anywhere in regional Victoria, from Mildura to the Gippsland coast.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff in Victoria?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles anywhere in regional Victoria. 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 from their first day.
Can I register with Hire Australia if I'm moving to regional Victoria?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us the towns or regions of Victoria you're considering, your background and when you could start. Experienced people, graduates and people moving from Melbourne or interstate are all welcome. We'll talk with you about suitable roles and the practical side of the move.
Sources (18)
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2024-25 financial year (Population estimates and components by SA2, 2024 to 2025). Released 31 March 2026. Data: 30 June 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment trends and employers' needs: State Snapshot update, Victoria combined. Released 22 September 2026. Data: Year to August 2026, weighted. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Headline counts: OSCA 2024 sheet; occupation ratings: ANZSCO 2022 sheet. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Industry profiles, Victoria combined: Employment Region Industry profiles. Published 15 April 2026. Data: February 2026, four-quarter average. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Alcoa, Portland Aluminium smelter fact sheet. 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 ↑
- 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, ANZSCO 2-digit occupations by GCCSA and SA4 regions. September data released 21 October 2026. Data: Three-month average to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Defence, Albury Wodonga Military Area: About the base. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Gippsland, Victoria declared offshore wind area. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Skills Authority, Horsham and surrounds: training and careers. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Deakin University, Deakin campuses in Australia. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Federation University Australia, Explore our campuses. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- La Trobe University, Campuses. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Skills Authority, TAFE and training providers in Geelong, Colac and surrounds. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Skills Authority, TAFE and training providers in Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Skills Authority, TAFE and training providers in Gippsland. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Skills Authority, TAFE and training providers in Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑