Nathan Edwards, 20, was arrested by officers attached to the Hume Local Area Command after being located in the township of Taralga about 7.50am on Tuesday.

Police began searching for the escapee after he was reported missing from the minimum security jail about 4pm on Monday.

Police have thanked the public and media for their assistance.

It’s believed the man was found following information received from a member of the public.

EARLIER: POLICE are hunting the fifth escapee from Oberon Correctional Centre in just a year.

Corrective Services staff contacted police after 20-year-old Nathan Edwards was reported missing during an inmate count at 4pm on Monday.

He was last seen about an hour earlier.

Edwards' escape brings the number of  escapes from the minimum security jail to at least five in the past 12 months.

Two men who escaped on December 8 last year were later recaptured in Goulburn, but they were followed by separate escapes on December 18 and February 8.

At the time of the fourth escape, a spokesperson for Corrective Services said inmates would be subjected to stricter controls.

Oberon Correctional Centre, located at Shooters Hill within the remote Gurnang State Forest, is a minimum security centre for young male offenders who undertake rehabilitation programs and reforestation work off-site.

All inmates must be classified as minimum security and must have demonstrated suitability for placement at the centre.

Many of the inmates have entered the final stages of their sentences, having previously spent time inside other jails across the state.

Edwards is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 187cm tall, with a slim build, blonde hair and blue eyes.

He was last seen wearing prison greens and has tattoos on his left thigh and right knee.

Investigators believe he may be heading towards the Wollongong area.

Anyone who sees Edwards should contact Triple-0.