The Australian Bureau Statistics' Data by Region released on Monday shows, that for those who participated in the 2011 census, 15.1 per cent were employed in the health industry. 

Bendigo Health chief executive officer John Mulder said the hospital was one of the largest employers in the region with about 3400 staff and volunteers. 

"The hospital employs people from a wide range of disciplines including clinical and non-clinical," he said. 

"Whilst the majority of our staff are based in Bendigo we have offices throughout the Loddon Mallee region."

Mr Mulder said with the construction of the new world-class hospital, the workforce would only expand. 

"Bendigo Health is experiencing an increasing demand for its services and we have a world class hospital only 18 months away. Given these factors our healthcare workforce will grow further over the coming years," Mr Mulder said. 

La Trobe University head of Bendigo campus Rob Stephenson said health related courses remained popular and included speech pathology, nursing, oral health and dentistry among others. 

"Health is a really strong part of what we do. As a sector (the data) does not surprise me," he said.

Mr Stephenson said 75 per cent of students who graduated from the university continued to live and work in regional areas, with the new Bendigo Hospital adding to the list of draw cards. 

“What it says to people indicates the strong future for employment in the sector. We can expect in the future more professional people moving to the area and more opportunities for specialisation," he said. 

"We as La Trobe look forward to seeing how we can work with the hospital to maximise the opportunities."

In second position was retail trade at 12.9 per cent and third manufacturing at 10.2.

Australian Turntable Company chief executive Paul Chapman said manufacturing had gone through a "turbulent time" but he was confident it would remain strong in Bendigo. 

He said it was important manufacturing looked for opportunities on a global scale.