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Ballarat is Victoria's third-largest city and has a diversified economy anchored by healthcare, education, public administration, food manufacturing and a growing professional services sector. Ballarat's housing affordability relative to Melbourne continues to attract residents and employers, and the city's economy has grown steadily. jobs.vic.gov.au
Top Industries Hiring in Ballarat in 2026
Healthcare and Aged Care, Ballarat Health Services (including the Ballarat Base Hospital), St John of God Ballarat Hospital and the Grampians Health network (formed from merger of Ballarat, Grampians and Wimmera health services) are major employers. Aged care (Calvary Ballarat, Mercy Health) drives sustained demand for care workers, nurses and allied health professionals.
Education, Federation University Australia (FedUni), the University of Melbourne's Ballarat dental clinic, TAFE Victoria (Ballarat) and the large Ballarat school network. FedUni's Mt Helen and SMB campuses are major employers.
Food Manufacturing, Ballarat has a significant food manufacturing sector. George Weston Foods (Tip Top Bakeries), McCain Foods and Nestle have all operated Ballarat facilities. Food production, quality control and logistics roles are available.
Public Administration, Ballarat is the regional administrative centre for western Victoria. The City of Ballarat, Grampians Health, the Department of Education and Services Victoria all have significant Ballarat offices.
Leading Ballarat recruitment agencies: Hays, Randstad, Chandler Macleod, Adecco and Skilled Group. For healthcare: Healthcare Australia and Cornerstone Medical Recruitment.
This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.
This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.
Covering finance in Ballarat. This article was generated by AI, under human editorial accountability and risk-based review and our reasonable editorial care. Sensitive material is held for human review before publication. See our reasonable editorial care.
Beta: AI-assisted and human-overseen. Details may be imperfect, so please verify anything important.
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