Hobart is Australia’s second oldest city, boasting iconic heritage buildings, vast green spaces and waterfront views. It’s a relatively small capital city, making it easy to navigate, with a relaxed atmosphere. Hobart has some of the most affordable housing in Australia compared to other capital cities and a large selection of quality homes. The city is also renowned for quality food, including Tasmanian salmon, chocolate, raspberries, cheese, and crayfish, as well as boutique wineries and beer. Offering an inviting change from the fast pace of city life, Hobart makes an enticing location for graduate jobs.
The economy in Hobart is solid and has been steadily improving after distancing itself from mining and logging. Today the economy is based around tourism and local industry, with a thriving, inventive community. Due to the small number of graduate positions available, the application process is quite competitive. Those who studied at a university in Tasmania are more likely to receive employment opportunities due to the strong links between the education sector and industry.
Hobart is one of the smallest capital cities in Australia and hosts 0.9% of all employment opportunities in Australia. Those jobs represent 0.8% of Australia’s total employment income.
There are limited graduate positions available, with 1.1% of Australian graduates finding employment in Tasmania. Hobart hosts 5,934 employing businesses, which represents 0.7% of all Australian businesses.
Figure 1: Number of employing businesses in Hobart vs other Australian cities
Tasmania offers a wide range of industries for graduates to consider. Health care and social assistance is the top employing industry, with 14.2% of jobs found in this sector representing around 15,000 workers. Retail trade and construction are also top sectors offering employment. Mining, real estate services and agriculture fall on the lower end of the spectrum, with only a very small percentage of the population employed in these areas.
Figure 2: Per cent of total employment per industry in Hobart
Figure 3: Employment status of graduates with bachelor degrees in Tasmania
When compared to other major cities, Tasmania has a relatively low percentage of bachelor graduates who are in full-time paid employment. 66% of bachelor graduates in Tasmania have full-time work, while a further 18% are engaged in casual or part-time work, with 16% of graduates are available for full-time employment but are unable to find a job.
Figure 4: Hobart annual growth rates vs other cities in Australia
As a city, Hobart is growing slowly, with the second-lowest annual growth rate when compared to other capital cities around Australia. At 6.1% annual growth, the city falls below the national average of 8.3%, although that is heavily dependant on the industry. The real estate, hospitality and healthcare industries are experiencing the fastest growth, which will result in job creation. Mining, manufacturing, utilities and wholesale trade are all in decline, with these industries predicted to decline over the next five years.
Figure 5: Annual industry growth rates in Hobart
Figure 6: Unemployment rates in Hobart vs other cities in Australia
Hobart has slightly increased rates of youth unemployment, although the unemployment rate of Australian over 15 in Hobart is similar to major cities and only marginally higher than the national average. Tasmania as a state has higher rates of graduate unemployment, with 3.4% more cases of graduate unemployment than the next highest state, and 4.5% more than the national average. A graduate considering a move to Tasmania would be well advised to have a position secured before they move and to get applications in early to beat the high demand. To ensure you don’t miss out on the latest graduate job programs in Hobart, sign up for updates from GradAustralia.
Figure 7: Graduate unemployment rates in Tasmania vs other locations in Australia
Figure 8: Per cent of total employment by occupation in Hobart
For graduates who are able to secure a position in Hobart, there is a wide range of occupations to choose from. The most common occupations are professionals, trades workers and administration positions. The least common are sales, machinery drivers and labourers. Professionals make up 24.6% of the working population in Hobart, which is the second-lowest in the country.
Figure 9: Percentage of full-time employees working as professionals in Hobart and other capital cities
GradAustralia surveyed graduates throughout Australia, and the top five roles in Hobart are:
Due to its small economy and population, Hobart has the second smallest number of graduate programs in Australia, representing only 0.4% of the graduate market.
The healthcare industry is the biggest graduate employer in Hobart, and there are a number of graduate jobs available for students who studied nursing, medicine, aged care or social work. The Tasmanian State Service is the largest employer in the state, employing people from more than 200 occupational groups through 18 agencies. A majority of these agencies offer structured graduate programs.
The biggest industries in the state are the mining, agriculture, marine and tourism sectors, with companies in these industries offering minimal graduate positions. There are also a number of jobs in public administration, social assistance, education and training, and professional, scientific and technical services.
Figure 10: Median and mean employee income in Hobart and other capital cities
The mean employee income in Hobart is $51,298, while the median income is $45,420 – that’s the lowest out of the 7 other capital cities, and significantly below the Australian average. The mean income is 12.9% above the median.
Figure 11: Median graduate starting salaries – Tasmania vs other states/territories
Graduates in Tasmania experience positive salary ranges, with an average starting salary of $55,000, slightly above the national average and above the average for other states including Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. A number of graduates are offered notably higher starting salaries: law and legal studies graduates start on average of $61,333 (as do graduates of finance-related disciplines), science graduates have an average starting salary of $73,000, while engineering, maths, IT and computer science graduates in Hobart can expect to start on an average salary of $76,000.
Figure 12: Average work hours per week for graduates in Hobart
According to GradAustralia’s survey of graduates, the average work hours in Hobart are 37.3 hours per week. The responses indicated a fairly regular workweek for Hobart employees, with respondents saying they worked 50 hours or less in a typical week. 77% of people said that they worked between 30-40 hours a week. That makes the average Hobart work week one of the shortest in Australia, which is another lifestyle factor to keep in mind when considering graduate positions.
Figure 13: Hobart average graduate working hours vs other cities
Figure 14: Average job satisfaction score in Hobart vs other cities
Hobart workers have a good level of job satisfaction, with respondents scoring their satisfaction at an average of 8.6/10, marginally higher than the Australian average of 8.5, and once again places Hobart in the middle of the other Australian cities.
Figure 15: Average diversity score in Hobart vs other cities
In GradAustralia’s survey of Australian university graduates, Hobart ranked just below the Australia-wide average of 8.5, with a score of 8.4. For a small city, Hobart is perceived to have more diverse workplaces than larger metropolitan areas including Brisbane and Melbourne.
Hobart’s workforce is 59% male and 41% female. Hobart based employer TasNetworks takes pride in their gender diversity at leadership levels, reflecting a gender split of 57% male and 43% female. The industries with the highest rates of female participation are health care and education, which is common to most cities in Australia. The lowest female participation rates are in the traditionally male-dominated industries such as construction and mining (which showed 0% female participation in the industry).
Figure 16: Male and female participation rates by industry in Hobart
Tasmania offers a competitive rate of pay for both female and male graduates when compared to the national average. Male bachelor degree graduates start on an average salary of $55,000 in Tasmania, which is the same as the national average. The average female starting salary for a bachelor-level graduate is $54,000, which is $1,000 less than the male equivalent but also $1,000 more than the national average.
Figure 17: Median graduate starting salary for males and females in Hobart vs other cities
The most sought-after employers in Hobart include:
Graduate jobs in Hobart can be found on the GradAustralia website, as well as internships and insider tips from graduates who have successfully landed graduate jobs in Hobart. A number of employers recruit for graduate programs throughout the year, however, for graduates in their final year of university, March is the peak recruitment season. To stay up to date with the latest graduate jobs, we recommend signing up for updates from GradAustralia.
In addition to searching for graduate jobs through GradAustralia, you may want to consider attending a career fair which will allow you to connect with employers that offer graduate students a job. These are usually held in the month of March and may be held in the city or at one of Hobart’s universities.
The Big Meet Hobart is organized by AAGE in the city, which provides opportunities to students of all disciplines. Universities such as The University of Tasmania also offer various career events and programs to help you learn more about your future jobs and employers.
Many employers also offer ‘entry-level’ jobs that are not specifically advertised as ‘graduate’ jobs. Keep an eye out for these on job boards such as SEEK.
If you're committed to finding a job in Hobart but still not sure what you want to do, or if you haven't had any luck locking down a graduate job, you might want to consider:
Lastly, if you’re still deciding if Hobart is the best place for your graduate career, you may want to check out our complete guide to moving to Hobart.
Economic Data Analyst at Australian Bureau of Statistics at Australian Bureau Of Statistics (ABS)
Graduate sustainability and carbon consultant at GHD at GHD New Zealand