Ballarat and Central Highlands recruitment: professional, technical and trade staff
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help employers in Ballarat and across the Central Highlands, including Daylesford, Maryborough and Ararat, hire professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people.
Ballarat at a glance
- of the Ballarat region's people live in the City of Ballarat
- 67%
- 122,661 of 184,285 residents, 30 June 2025.1,2
- of workers in the Ballarat region are in health care and social assistance
- 20%
- 18,100 of 89,600, four-quarter average to February 2026.3
- of recruiting Ballarat employers found a role hard to fill
- 26%
- Year to August 2026; 42% across regional Victoria.4
- unemployment in Central Goldfields (Maryborough)
- 7.6%
- June quarter 2026, the highest in the region; the City of Ballarat was 4.2%.5
Who are Ballarat's biggest employers?
Health care leads, with 18,100 workers in the Ballarat employment region in the year to February 2026, followed by education and training with 9,400.3 Grampians Health, with campuses in Ballarat, Stawell, Horsham, Edenhope and Dimboola,6 employs more than 7,000 staff and serves over 250,000 people across 48,500 square kilometres.7
Federation University's four Ballarat campuses8 add steady demand for teaching, technical and office staff alongside the health workforce.
Employed people in the five largest industries, Ballarat employment region (Ballarat, Moorabool, Hepburn, Pyrenees and Central Goldfields), four-quarter average to February 2026.3
| Industry | Employed people |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 18,100 |
| Education and training | 9,400 |
| Construction | 9,100 |
| Manufacturing | 7,400 |
| Retail trade | 7,000 |
Which jobs are most advertised in Ballarat?
About 937 online job ads a month were posted for the Ballarat region in the three months to September 2026.9 Care and sales roles were the most advertised, followed closely by nurses and doctors and by front-office staff.
Online job advertisements by occupation group, Ballarat statistical region (SA4), three-month average to September 2026.9
| Occupation group | Job ads a month |
|---|---|
| Carers and aides | 79 |
| Sales assistants and salespersons | 74 |
| Medical practitioners and nurses | 69 |
| General-inquiry clerks, call-centre workers and receptionists | 66 |
| Health diagnostic and therapy professionals | 49 |
| Legal, social and welfare professionals | 47 |
How hard is it to hire in Ballarat?
In the year to August 2026, 86 employers in the Ballarat region answered a national employer survey. 41% were recruiting or had recruited in the past month, and 26% of those had difficulty, one of the lowest rates in regional Victoria (42% overall).4
Employers who did struggle pointed to a lack of suitable applicants, applicants without the technical skills, the location and the working conditions or hours.4 Conditions also differ across the region: unemployment was 2.8% in Hepburn but 7.6% in Central Goldfields in the June quarter 2026.5 We match the search to the town as well as the role.
Which roles do we recruit in Ballarat and the Central Highlands?
Open a role type for local job ads, the 2026 shortage rating, pay, training and what to put in your brief. Shortage here means rated short nationally or in regional areas.
Trades and manufacturing
Qualified electricians, fitters, welders, mechanics and builders for manufacturing, maintenance and construction.
- Demand
- Ballarat employers posted 38 online job ads a month for automotive and engineering trades, plus 15 for construction trades and 15 for electrotechnology trades, three months to September 2026.9
- Shortage
- General fitters, first-class welders, electricians and carpenters all carry a national shortage rating in 2026.10
- Pay (electricians)
- Award minimum: $1,223.11 a week for Electrical worker grade 5, a licensed electrician, including industry, tool and licence allowances, from 1 July 2026 where the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award applies.11 Market median: $2,191 a week, full-time electricians nationally, May 2025.12
- Local training
- Federation TAFE has Ballarat campuses at Gillies Street, Mount Helen and SMB in the city centre.13
- What to put in your brief
- The trade and tickets you need, the machines or systems, shift times, the pay range and the experience you expect.
Engineers and technical staff
Graduate and experienced engineers, drafters and technicians for manufacturing, infrastructure and council projects.
- Demand
- The Ballarat region averaged 21 job ads a month for engineering, ICT and science technicians and 12 for engineers, three months to September 2026.9
- Shortage
- Civil, electrical and mechanical engineers are rated in shortage nationally in 2026, as are civil engineering draftspersons.10
- Local study
- Federation University's main campuses are in Ballarat, four of them across the city.8
- What to put in your brief
- The discipline, the projects, the software, and who checks a graduate's work.
Health, aged care and disability support
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.
- Size of the sector
- 18,100 people work in health care and social assistance in the Ballarat region, and Grampians Health alone has more than 7,000 staff.3,7
- Demand
- Monthly online job ads averaged 79 for carers and aides, 69 for medical practitioners and nurses and 49 for health diagnostic and therapy professionals, three months to September 2026.9
- Shortage
- Aged-care registered nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and aged or disabled carers are rated in shortage nationally; enrolled nurses are short in regional areas.10
- What to put in your brief
- Registration, the roster, the setting (hospital, community or residential) and the supervision on offer.
Office, finance and administration
Accountants, bookkeepers, payroll, HR and office staff for professional practices and service businesses.
- Demand
- Each month Ballarat averaged 27 online job ads for business, finance and HR professionals, 16 for numerical clerks and 16 for office managers, administrators and secretaries, three months to September 2026.9
- Shortage
- Taxation accountants are rated in shortage nationally in 2026; general accountants are not.10
- Local training
- Federation TAFE's SMB campus is in central Ballarat.13
- What to put in your brief
- Your accounting or payroll software, the experience level and the hours.
Hiring graduates from Ballarat's campuses
How we help you hire in Ballarat
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Travel, towns and relocation across the Central Highlands
Many Ballarat employers serve the surrounding shires. Moorabool has 40,472 people, Hepburn (Daylesford and Creswick) 17,011, Central Goldfields (Maryborough) 13,753 and Ararat 11,732.1
Tell us where the role is based and how much travel it involves, and we raise it with candidates at the start. For a move to Ballarat or a smaller town, we ask early about where the person plans to live and any relocation help you offer. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for work in Ballarat?
Experienced tradespeople and professionals, Federation University and TAFE graduates and people moving to the Central Highlands can register with Hire Australia. Tell us the work you want and the towns you can reach, and we'll talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next Ballarat hire
Tell us the role, the town and the start date you have in mind.
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 towns around Ballarat does Hire Australia recruit for?
Hire Australia recruits for employers in Ballarat and the Central Highlands, including Daylesford and Creswick, Maryborough, Ararat, Beaufort, Bacchus Marsh and Ballan. We recruit professional, technical and trade staff, from graduates to experienced people, for health services, manufacturers, construction firms, councils and professional practices, and we cover the rest of regional Victoria too.
Is it hard to recruit staff in Ballarat?
Less than in most of regional Victoria, but it varies by role. In the year to August 2026, 26% of recruiting Ballarat employers had difficulty filling a role, against 42% across regional Victoria. Those who struggled cited a lack of suitable applicants, missing technical skills and the location.4 Hire Australia searches for the specific skills each role needs.
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. A Ballarat or Central Highlands brief costs nothing to discuss with Hire Australia, and the search needs no upfront payment.
Does Hire Australia have an office in Ballarat?
No. Hire Australia is based in Brisbane and recruits for regional employers across Australia, including Ballarat and the Central Highlands. We start with people who live, study or train around Ballarat and with candidates planning a move to the region, and we take the time to understand your town and your role before we search.
Can Hire Australia provide labour hire or temps in Ballarat?
No. Hire Australia only recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t provide labour hire or temporary staff in Ballarat, and candidates are never on our payroll. We find and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the best matches, and you make the offer and employ them from their first day.
Can I register with Hire Australia before I move to Ballarat?
Yes. Register with Hire Australia and tell us your experience, the work you're after, when you could start and which towns in the Central Highlands suit you. We'll talk with you about suitable Ballarat-area roles and the practical side of moving, such as where you plan to live.
Sources (13)
- 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 ↑
- 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, 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 ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment trends and employers' needs: State Snapshot update, Victoria combined. Released 22 September 2026. Data: Year to August 2026, 86 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 ↑
- Grampians Health, Grampians Health home page. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Grampians Health, About Grampians Health. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Federation University Australia, Explore our campuses. 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 ↑
- 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 ↑
- 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 ↑
- Victorian Skills Authority, TAFE and training providers in Ballarat and surrounds. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑