Bendigo Leaders Weigh Next Steps on Economic Transition

The Greater Bendigo region recorded a 2024 Gross Regional Product of approximately $10.4 billion, placing it as Victoria's third-largest urban economy. Manufacturing contributed 28.2 percent or $5.8 billion to total output that year, while Health Care and Social Assistance accounted for 19.7 percent of employment.

These figures matter now because the Bendigo Employment Region reported around 82,000 employed people in August 2025, with Retail Trade and Construction posting gains even as Health Care employment dropped 14.9 percent year-on-year. The region maintains a population of approximately 121,000 and holds UNESCO City of Gastronomy status supported by more than 120 wineries and breweries.

Output and Employment Patterns

Manufacturing remains the top contributor by value, yet the local economy shows signs of moving toward services. Retail Trade and Construction added positions in the year to August 2025, while the health sector contraction occurred against a backdrop of more than 120 food and beverage producers tied to the gastronomy designation.

The City of Greater Bendigo's documented output mix and employment data come directly from profiles compiled by state and local agencies, including the 2024 figures released through the City of Greater Bendigo and cross-checked in regional LGA summaries.

Decisions Ahead

Regional authorities will need to decide how to balance continued manufacturing capacity with growth in retail, construction and food production sectors. Choices on workforce training, infrastructure for the gastronomy economy and support for the projected rise toward 200,000 residents by 2050 will shape the next phase of activity in the third-largest Victorian regional economy.

Those decisions rest on the same verified employment totals and output shares already recorded for August 2025 and 2024, giving planners concrete benchmarks rather than projections alone.