Hobartruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Antarctic & Southern Ocean science
Australian Antarctic Division (Kingston), CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, IMAS, the Antarctic Climate Program
Hobart is one of five Antarctic gateway cities in the world and the only one in Australia. The icebreaker RSV Nuyina is home-ported here, and Macquarie Wharf 6 is being rebuilt for it with AUD 188 million of Commonwealth funding, works running from early 2026 to a targeted completion in August 2028. It is a small, specialised and internationally connected labour market that has nothing to do with the city's size.
Health & aged care
Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service, Calvary Lenah Valley, St Helens Private
Tasmania has the oldest population profile of any Australian state and a health system under sustained strain, which makes clinical roles the most consistently in-demand occupations on the state nomination list. If you are a nurse, a GP, a specialist or an allied health professional, Tasmania is one of the easier places in Australia to be wanted.
Higher education & research
University of Tasmania, TasTAFE, the Menzies Institute for Medical Research
UTAS is the state's largest employer after government and is consolidating campuses into central Hobart and Launceston. Universities do not require citizenship or clearances, which makes academic and professional-staff roles a realistic first landing for a skilled migrant.
Aquaculture & seafood
Tassal, Huon Aquaculture, Petuna, Spring Bay Seafoods
Atlantic salmon farming in the Derwent, the Huon and Macquarie Harbour is one of Tasmania's largest export industries and one of its most politically contested — environmental opposition to marine leases is a live local issue rather than a background one. Marine biology, veterinary, processing and engineering roles cluster around it.
Tourism, food & drink
MONA, Federal Group, Lark Distilling, Sullivans Cove, Willie Smith's
MONA changed Hobart's economy as well as its reputation, and Tasmanian single malt whisky has become a genuine export category since Sullivans Cove won world's best single malt in 2014. Tourism employment is seasonal and largely outside the skilled occupation lists, so treat it as a way to arrive rather than a way to stay.
Renewable energy & hydro
Hydro Tasmania, TasNetworks, Marinus Link, Bell Bay Powerfuels projects
Tasmania generates the large majority of its electricity from hydro and wind and has legislated a renewable energy target well above 100% of its own demand. The proposed Marinus Link interconnector to Victoria and associated pumped hydro work drive a steady engineering pipeline, though timelines have moved repeatedly.
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