Bendigo's Job Market: 44,000 New Workers Wanted by 2034 as Health Sector Leads Boom

Bendigo's economy is on track to require 44,124 additional workers by 2034, according to new federal projections that lay out both the opportunities and the skills gaps ahead for the region.

The forecast, published by Jobs and Skills Australia, covers Bendigo, Echuca and the surrounding areas. It expects 11,655 new workers will be needed between 2024 and 2027 alone, driven by retirements and growth in aged care, construction and education.

As of February 2026, the Bendigo Employment Region had around 78,400 people in work. Health Care and Social Assistance was the largest industry, employing 18,200 workers, a jump of 20.1 per cent over the previous year, according to the agency's labour market dashboard.

Health, construction and education set to grow, but skills shortages remain

Health Care is expected to need 13,445 new workers by 2034. Construction is forecast to require 4,821 additional workers, and Education and Training 4,113. Those three sectors alone account for more than half of the projected demand.

Yet the region is not without its pressure points. Manufacturing and Retail Trade face declines or stagnation, according to the projections. And employers are already reporting skills shortages in manufacturing engineering, particularly for welders and fabricators.

Demand for advanced digital skills, including artificial intelligence, data analysis and cybersecurity, is also rising, per analysis from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' Bendigo Local Jobs Plan.

Unemployment in the Bendigo Area stood at 4.7 per cent as of September 2025, above Victoria's state average. Local government areas within the region show historical disparities, with elevated joblessness among youth and mature-aged job seekers a persistent challenge.

What the numbers mean for local workers and businesses

The data signals a clear shift: the region's traditional employment base is rebalancing toward services and construction, even as some older industries contract. For someone starting a career or looking to retrain, the message from the projections is that healthcare qualifications, construction trades and digital skills are where the openings will be concentrated.

That doesn't mean manufacturing is disappearing overnight, the shortage of welders and fabricators shows there are still opportunities in that sector, just fewer of them. But the broader direction is unmistakable. Retail and manufacturing jobs are not forecast to grow; health and construction jobs are.

For local businesses, the challenge will be finding enough trained workers. For job seekers, especially those aged under 25 or over 45, the question is whether they can access the training pathways that match where the demand is heading.

The Bendigo region is not alone in facing these dynamics, regional centres across Victoria are grappling with similar shifts. But the scale of the numbers, and the speed of the transition, make this a defining issue for the local economy.