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Job market report

Ballarat job market report

Online job ads, unemployment, industries and pay in Ballarat, Victoria, from Jobs and Skills Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Every figure is numbered and sourced.

Latest data
JSA September 2026; ABS 2023 to 2025 and the 2021 Census
Updated
24 October 2026
Area
ABS SA4 201 Ballarat
Sources
JSA, ABS and ViewJobs

Key findings

  1. Growing: online job ads in Ballarat were up 9.0% on a year earlier, from 860 to 937 a month in the three months to September 2026.

    Over the same year, ads were up 0.1% across Victoria and up 0.6% across Australia.[1][2]

    Section 1: Job ads and demand →

  2. Carers and aides had the most online ads, 79 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by sales assistants and salespersons (74) and medical practitioners and nurses (69).

    Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for hospitality workers rose fastest, up 71.4%.[1]

    Section 2: Which jobs are in demand →

  3. Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, education and training grew fastest, with 39% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019.

    Public administration and safety had 18% fewer employee jobs than in 2019, and transport, postal and warehousing 4% fewer.[3]

    Section 4: Industries growing and shrinking →

  4. 4.5% of the labour force in Ballarat was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.0% across Victoria.

    It was 6.8% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 57.8%, against 62.4% across Victoria. The Census runs every five years, so these are not current rates.[3]

    Section 3: Unemployment and participation →

1 Job ads and demand

Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index is a monthly count of online job ads, compiled from SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia. Regional figures are three-month averages. It is not a count of ViewJobs' own ads.

Ballarat
+9.0%
937 ads a month[1]
Victoria
+0.1%
the sum of its areas[1][2]
Australia
+0.6%
the sum of every area[1][2]

Change in online job ads, the three months to September 2026 against a year earlier.

Figure 1.1: Online job ads a month, BallaratThree-month average, October 2023 to September 2026.
8001k1.2k1.4kJan 2024Sep 2024May 2025Jan 2026Sep 2026BallaratBallarat, Sep 2026: 937937

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Online job ads a month, Ballarat
MonthOnline job ads a month
October 20231,352
November 20231,236
December 20231,135
January 20241,056
February 20241,076
March 20241,149
April 20241,103
May 20241,091
June 2024995
July 2024960
August 2024912
September 2024948
October 20241,010
November 2024989
December 2024909
January 2025863
February 2025879
March 2025947
April 2025901
May 2025886
June 2025857
July 2025868
August 2025844
September 2025860
October 2025879
November 2025868
December 2025803
January 2026801
February 2026829
March 2026887
April 2026838
May 2026849
June 2026850
July 2026901
August 2026899
September 2026937

2 Which jobs are in demand

Online job ads by occupation group (ANZSCO sub-major groups), the three months to September 2026 against a year earlier.

Figure 2.1: Change in online job ads by occupation, BallaratThe 12 occupation groups with the most ads, fastest-rising first. Groups with fewer than 5 ads a month now or a year earlier are left out; the table lists all 48.
Hospitality workers: +71.4%Hospitality workers+71.4%Sales assistants and salespersons: +60.9%Sales assistants and salespersons+60.9%Food trades: +33.3%Food trades+33.3%Hospitality, retail and service managers: +20.0%Hospitality, retail and service managers+20.0%Legal, social and welfare professionals: +17.5%Legal, social and welfare professionals+17.5%Business, finance and human resource professionals: +12.5%Business, finance and human resource professionals+12.5%Health and welfare support workers: +9.1%Health and welfare support workers+9.1%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals: +6.5%Health diagnostic and therapy professionals+6.5%Medical practitioners and nurses: +1.5%Medical practitioners and nurses+1.5%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists: −2.9%General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists−2.9%Carers and aides: −7.1%Carers and aides−7.1%Automotive and engineering trades: −7.3%Automotive and engineering trades−7.3%

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Change in online job ads by occupation, Ballarat
Occupation groupAds a month, September 2026A year earlierChange
Carers and aides7985−7.1%
Sales assistants and salespersons7446+60.9%
Medical practitioners and nurses6968+1.5%
General-inquiry clerks, call centre, receptionists6668−2.9%
Health diagnostic and therapy professionals4946+6.5%
Legal, social and welfare professionals4740+17.5%
Automotive and engineering trades3841−7.3%
Food trades3224+33.3%
Hospitality, retail and service managers3025+20.0%
Business, finance and human resource professionals2724+12.5%
Health and welfare support workers2422+9.1%
Hospitality workers2414+71.4%
Drivers and storepersons2422+9.1%
Other labourers2417+41.2%
Corporate managers2123−8.7%
Engineering, ICT and science technicians2114+50.0%
Construction, production and distribution managers1916+18.8%
Other clerical and administrative workers1817+5.9%
Cleaners and laundry workers1719−10.5%
Numerical clerks1617−5.9%
Office managers, administrators and secretaries1614+14.3%
Education professionals1524−37.5%
Construction trades1514+7.1%
Electrotechnology and telecommunications trades1511+36.4%
Sales representatives and agents1513+15.4%
Engineers1210+20.0%
Skilled animal and horticultural workers1110+10.0%
Machine and stationary plant operators1112−8.3%
Health, education, ICT and other managers10100.0%
Factory process workers106+66.7%
Mobile plant operators98+12.5%
Arts and media professionals8fewer than 5n/a
Sports, travel and personal service workers89−11.1%
Sales, marketing & public relations professionals67−14.3%
Science professionals and veterinarians6fewer than 5n/a
Information professionals56−16.7%
Jewellers, arts and other trades workers5fewer than 5n/a
Construction and mining labourers5fewer than 5n/a
Food preparation assistants56−16.7%
ICT professionalsfewer than 58n/a
Transport and design professionals, and architectsfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Hairdressers, printing, clothing and wood tradesfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Protective service workersfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Sales support workersfewer than 55n/a
Farm, forestry and garden workersfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Chief executives, managing directors & legislatorsfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a
Clerical and office support workers, couriersfewer than 55n/a
Farmers and farm managersfewer than 5fewer than 5n/a

3 Unemployment and participation

Unemployment and labour force participation at each Census, from the ABS. These are the rates at the Census named, not current rates.

Figure 3.1: Unemployment rate, BallaratShare of the labour force unemployed at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Victoria.
  • Ballarat
  • Victoria
4%5%6%7%201120162021BallaratBallarat, 2011: 5.8%Ballarat, 2016: 6.8%Ballarat, 2021: 4.5%4.5%VictoriaVictoria, 2011: 5.4%Victoria, 2016: 6.6%Victoria, 2021: 5.0%5.0%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Unemployment rate, Ballarat
CensusBallaratVictoria
2011 Census5.8%5.4%
2016 Census6.8%6.6%
2021 Census4.5%5.0%
Figure 3.2: Labour force participation, BallaratShare of people aged 15 and over in the labour force at the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses, against Victoria.
  • Ballarat
  • Victoria
56%58%60%62%64%201120162021BallaratBallarat, 2011: 57.8%Ballarat, 2016: 56.3%Ballarat, 2021: 57.8%57.8%VictoriaVictoria, 2011: 61.4%Victoria, 2016: 60.5%Victoria, 2021: 62.4%62.4%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Labour force participation, Ballarat
CensusBallaratVictoria
2011 Census57.8%61.4%
2016 Census56.3%60.5%
2021 Census57.8%62.4%

Note: This report takes unemployment from the Census. The ABS's monthly Labour Force estimates by region are not included yet.

4 Industries growing and shrinking

Employee jobs by industry (ANZSIC division) in the year to 30 June, from the ABS. Change is measured from 2019: the ABS figures for 2018 and 2019 differ sharply for some industries in some areas. Shrinking means fewer employee jobs in the ABS count.

Figure 4.1: Change in employee jobs by industry, Ballarat, 2019 to 2023Industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs in 2023, fastest-growing first.
Education and training: +39.5%Education and training+39.5%Health care and social assistance: +37.1%Health care and social assistance+37.1%Accommodation and food services: +37.0%Accommodation and food services+37.0%Other services: +32.0%Other services+32.0%Administrative and support services: +30.7%Administrative and support services+30.7%Retail trade: +28.5%Retail trade+28.5%Financial and insurance services: +23.3%Financial and insurance services+23.3%Construction: +19.9%Construction+19.9%Electricity, gas, water and waste services: +19.7%Electricity, gas, water and waste services+19.7%Arts and recreation services: +19.0%Arts and recreation services+19.0%Professional, scientific and technical services: +18.8%Professional, scientific and technical services+18.8%Rental, hiring and real estate services: +18.0%Rental, hiring and real estate services+18.0%Wholesale trade: +13.8%Wholesale trade+13.8%Information media and telecommunications: +11.5%Information media and telecommunications+11.5%Agriculture, forestry and fishing: +10.9%Agriculture, forestry and fishing+10.9%Manufacturing: +5.9%Manufacturing+5.9%Transport, postal and warehousing: −3.9%Transport, postal and warehousing−3.9%Public administration and safety: −17.6%Public administration and safety−17.6%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Change in employee jobs by industry, Ballarat, 2019 to 2023
Industry20192023Change
Health care and social assistance16,66322,837+37.1%
Retail trade11,05214,200+28.5%
Education and training9,21112,845+39.5%
Accommodation and food services9,28912,728+37.0%
Administrative and support services7,1929,400+30.7%
Public administration and safety10,7978,901−17.6%
Construction7,2888,739+19.9%
Manufacturing7,7168,171+5.9%
Professional, scientific and technical services5,1496,115+18.8%
Financial and insurance services3,5184,338+23.3%
Other services2,8973,824+32.0%
Wholesale trade3,0693,493+13.8%
Transport, postal and warehousing3,6053,464−3.9%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing3,0723,408+10.9%
Arts and recreation services2,7593,284+19.0%
Rental, hiring and real estate services1,4861,753+18.0%
Information media and telecommunications1,5351,711+11.5%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services8651,035+19.7%
Mining703868n/a
Figure 4.2: Largest industries by employee jobs, Ballarat, 2023132,231 employee jobs across all industries in the year to 30 June 2023.
Health care and social assistance: 22,837Health care and social assistance22,837Retail trade: 14,200Retail trade14,200Education and training: 12,845Education and training12,845Accommodation and food services: 12,728Accommodation and food services12,728Administrative and support services: 9,400Administrative and support services9,400Public administration and safety: 8,901Public administration and safety8,901Construction: 8,739Construction8,739Manufacturing: 8,171Manufacturing8,171

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Largest industries by employee jobs, Ballarat, 2023
IndustryEmployee jobsShare of all employee jobs
Health care and social assistance22,83717%
Retail trade14,20011%
Education and training12,84510%
Accommodation and food services12,72810%
Administrative and support services9,4007%
Public administration and safety8,9017%
Construction8,7397%
Manufacturing8,1716%
Professional, scientific and technical services6,1155%
Financial and insurance services4,3383%
Other services3,8243%
Wholesale trade3,4933%
Transport, postal and warehousing3,4643%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing3,4083%
Arts and recreation services3,2842%
Rental, hiring and real estate services1,7531%
Information media and telecommunications1,7111%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services1,0351%
Mining8681%
All industries132,231100%

5 Pay

Employee income per person with wage or salary income, before tax, including part-time and part-year workers, from the ABS. The median is the middle earner; the mean (average) is pulled up by high earners.

Figure 5.1: Median employee income, BallaratIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Victoria and Australia.
  • Ballarat
  • Victoria
  • Australia
$45k$50k$55k$60k$65k20192020202120222023BallaratBallarat, 2019: $48,465Ballarat, 2020: $50,323Ballarat, 2021: $52,104Ballarat, 2022: $53,673Ballarat, 2023: $57,389$57,389VictoriaVictoria, 2019: $51,487Victoria, 2020: $53,010Victoria, 2021: $55,526Victoria, 2022: $57,653Victoria, 2023: $61,397$61,397AustraliaAustralia, 2019: $52,256Australia, 2020: $53,878Australia, 2021: $56,485Australia, 2022: $58,260Australia, 2023: $61,966$61,966

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Median employee income, Ballarat
YearBallaratVictoriaAustralia
2019$48,465$51,487$52,256
2020$50,323$53,010$53,878
2021$52,104$55,526$56,485
2022$53,673$57,653$58,260
2023$57,389$61,397$61,966
Figure 5.2: Mean employee income, BallaratIn the year to 30 June, 2019 to 2023, against Victoria and Australia.
  • Ballarat
  • Victoria
  • Australia
$55k$60k$65k$70k$75k20192020202120222023BallaratBallarat, 2019: $55,275Ballarat, 2020: $57,766Ballarat, 2021: $60,254Ballarat, 2022: $62,157Ballarat, 2023: $65,740$65,740VictoriaVictoria, 2019: $62,207Victoria, 2020: $64,331Victoria, 2021: $67,299Victoria, 2022: $70,089Victoria, 2023: $73,591$73,591AustraliaAustralia, 2019: $63,517Australia, 2020: $65,591Australia, 2021: $68,452Australia, 2022: $70,950Australia, 2023: $74,579$74,579

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Mean employee income, Ballarat
YearBallaratVictoriaAustralia
2019$55,275$62,207$63,517
2020$57,766$64,331$65,591
2021$60,254$67,299$68,452
2022$62,157$70,089$70,950
2023$65,740$73,591$74,579

6 People

Estimated resident population and the working-age population (15 to 64), from the ABS.

People living in the area
184,285
ABS, 2025 · up 7.8% since 2020[3]
Working-age population, 15 to 64
111,719
ABS, 2024 · up 5.8% since 2020[3]

Victoria's population was up 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, and Ballarat's up 7.8%.[3]

7 Businesses

Counts of businesses by how many people they employ, from the ABS.

Businesses in the area
16,041
ABS, 2025 · up 12.0% since 2021[3]
Figure 7.1: Businesses by number of employees, Ballarat, 2025Businesses by how many people they employ. The table adds each size's count in 2021 and the change.
No employees: 10,080No employees10,0801–4 employees: 4,1121–4 employees4,1125–19 employees: 1,4625–19 employees1,46220 or more employees: 38720 or more employees387

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Show the numbers
Businesses by number of employees, Ballarat, 2025
Size20212025Change
No employees8,12510,080+24.1%
1–4 employees4,3994,112−6.5%
5–19 employees1,4531,462+0.6%
20 or more employees340387+13.8%

8 Jobs on ViewJobs now

Live job ads on ViewJobs in Ballarat, a ViewJobs region whose towns all sit in this ABS area.

Live jobs on ViewJobs in Ballarat
323
ViewJobs, 25 Oct 2026[4]
Figure 8.1: Live jobs on ViewJobs by classification, BallaratThe 8 classifications with the most live ads, as of 25 Oct 2026.
Healthcare & Medical: 63Healthcare & Medical63Retail & Consumer Products: 46Retail & Consumer Products46Education & Training: 34Education & Training34Community Services & Development: 31Community Services & Development31Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics: 16Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics16Farming, Animals & Conservation: 14Farming, Animals & Conservation14Hospitality & Tourism: 13Hospitality & Tourism13Administration & Office Support: 12Administration & Office Support12

Source: ViewJobs live ads[4].

Show the numbers
Live jobs on ViewJobs by classification, Ballarat
ClassificationLive jobs
Healthcare & Medical63
Retail & Consumer Products46
Education & Training34
Community Services & Development31
Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics16
Farming, Animals & Conservation14
Hospitality & Tourism13
Administration & Office Support12

Browse jobs by region

9 Quick answers

Short answers to the questions people ask about Ballarat's job market, each with its period and source.

How many jobs are advertised in Ballarat?

937 online job ads a month were placed in Ballarat, on average, in the three months to September 2026.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Is Ballarat's job market growing or shrinking?

Growing: online job ads in Ballarat were up 9.0% on a year earlier, from 860 to 937 a month in the three months to September 2026. Over the same year, ads were up 0.1% across Victoria and up 0.6% across Australia.

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; ViewJobs analysis[2].

Which jobs are most in demand in Ballarat?

Carers and aides had the most online ads, 79 a month in the three months to September 2026, followed by sales assistants and salespersons (74) and medical practitioners and nurses (69). Among occupation groups with at least 5 ads a month a year earlier and now, ads for hospitality workers rose fastest, up 71.4%.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

What is the unemployment rate in Ballarat?

4.5% of the labour force in Ballarat was unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 5.0% across Victoria. It was 6.8% at the 2016 Census. Labour force participation at the 2021 Census was 57.8%, against 62.4% across Victoria. The Census runs every five years, so these are not current rates.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

What is the average wage in Ballarat?

Average (mean) employee income in Ballarat was $65,740 in 2023; the median was $57,389, against $61,397 across Victoria and $61,966 across Australia.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries employ the most people in Ballarat?

Health care and social assistance had the most employee jobs in Ballarat: 22,837 in 2023, 17% of the 132,231 employee jobs. Next were retail trade (14,200) and education and training (12,845).

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Which industries are growing or shrinking in Ballarat?

Among industries with 1,000 or more employee jobs, education and training grew fastest, with 39% more employee jobs in 2023 than in 2019. Public administration and safety had 18% fewer employee jobs than in 2019, and transport, postal and warehousing 4% fewer.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

Is Ballarat's population growing?

184,285 people lived in Ballarat in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020. Victoria's population was up 6.9% over the same years. The working-age population was 111,719 in 2024, up 5.8% since 2020.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3].

How many jobs are on ViewJobs in Ballarat?

At least 323 jobs are live on ViewJobs in Ballarat, as of 25 Oct 2026. They are the ads in the ViewJobs region of the same name, whose towns all sit in the area. The most advertised are Healthcare & Medical (63), Retail & Consumer Products (46) and Education & Training (34).

Source: ViewJobs live ads[4].

10 Notes and method

What the figures count, where they come from, and the rules this report applies to them.

The area
Ballarat here is ABS SA4 201 Ballarat. The reports cover 50 areas, 42 regional ABS regions and the eight capital cities: the areas Jobs and Skills Australia publishes online job ads for.
Online job ads
Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index is a monthly count of online job ads, compiled from SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia. Regional figures are three-month averages. It is not a count of ViewJobs' own ads. It counts ads, not jobs filled, by occupation and area.
State and national ads
This report reads the index's series by area, so a state or national figure here is the sum of its areas, marked as ViewJobs analysis. It can differ from the state and national totals Jobs and Skills Australia publishes separately.[2]
Small numbers
A figure under 5 ads a month is shown as "fewer than 5". A group with fewer than 5 ads a month, now or a year earlier, is left out of every change, and every ranking by change.
ABS figures
The latest ABS income and jobs figures here are for the year to 30 June 2023; population and business counts are more recent. Every figure shows its year. Change is measured from 2019: the ABS figures for 2018 and 2019 differ sharply for some industries in some areas. Industries with fewer than 1,000 employee jobs are listed but not ranked.
Unemployment
This report takes unemployment from the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses: each figure is the rate at the Census named, not a current rate. The ABS's monthly Labour Force estimates by region are not included yet.
Jobs on ViewJobs
ViewJobs regions do not follow ABS boundaries. Section 8 counts the ads open on ViewJobs on 25 Oct 2026 in each ViewJobs region with at least 20% of its towns in this area, and counts each region whole: a region that reaches beyond the area can include ads from outside it, and a region with fewer of its towns here is left out. A classification links to its own page once it has enough ads for one.

11 References

Every figure on this page points at one of these entries.

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-10/internet_vacancies_anzsco2_occupations_gccsa_and_sa4_regions_-_september_2026.xlsx. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 24 October 2026.
  2. ViewJobs, ViewJobs analysis of the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/data/internet-vacancy-index. State and national figures are the sum of the ABS areas in Jobs and Skills Australia's regional series.
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Data by Region, v1.6.0. dbr.abs.gov.au. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 24 October 2026.
  4. ViewJobs, Live job ads on ViewJobs, 25 Oct 2026. preview.viewjobs.com.au.

Cite this report

ViewJobs (2026). Ballarat job market report, data to September 2026. https://preview.viewjobs.com.au/job-market/vic/ballarat

Licence

Contains data from Jobs and Skills Australia, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, used under CC BY 4.0. ViewJobs has charted the data and, where marked as ViewJobs analysis, added areas together.

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