Economic Overview

There are over 6000 registered businesses in the Ballarat region, including major international companies such as IBM Global Services, McCain Foods, Mars and United Group Limited all of which reflect Ballarat's dynamic economic base.

Regularly expanding on its vision to host multinational companies, Ballarat has attracted international investment from companies in Singapore, India, Japan and South Korea and is continuing to attract investment from additional businesses internationally.

According to the 2006 ABS Census data the Ballarat economy has an estimated Gross Regional Product of $4,614.96 million. The total output estimate for the City of Ballarat is $10,427.069 million and the total Value Added production is estimated at $4,204.871 million (Remplan 2008).

The total regional export or the value of goods and services exported outside the City of Ballarat is estimated at $3,929.121 million.

While the total local expenditure by industry on goods and services sourced in the City of Ballarat is estimated at $3,004.473 million (Remplan 2008).

Retail trade, manufacturing, property and business services, health and community services, education and tourism all contribute significantly to the Ballarat economy based on employment, regional exports, value added and local expenditure on goods and services.

The manufacturing, health and community services and retail trade sectors are major employers in the city.