Ministers from WA head to UK and Ireland in a bid to beat workforce crises

Western Australia’s Police and Defence Industry Minister Paul Papalia will lead an eight-day mission to the United Kingdom and Ireland to promote WA as an ideal place to work and live in a bid to fill the almost 31,000 job vacancies advertised across the state in a variety of sectors and industries, including early childhood education and care (ECEC).

His key selling points will be the higher wages on offer, the state’s lower cost of living, and the ‘surf and sunshine’ lifestyle enjoyed by WA citizens. 

The mission will commence on Saturday 25 February in London, and aims to build a pipeline of workers to alleviate workforce pressures in sectors such as education, law enforcement, healthcare and various trades, along with those who have experience in the mining and hospitality sectors.

Salaries in WA are often more than 50 per cent higher than the average English salary for the same occupation, something which is expected to have strong appeal in challenging economic times.

Compared to the UK and Ireland, WA boasts significant lifestyle advantages including a lower cost of living and around 3,200 hours of sunshine annually.

During the eight-day visit, the delegation will sell the benefits of a move to WA at events in four major cities – London, Edinburgh, Bristol and Dublin. Representatives from the Western Australian Police Force (WAPOL) will hold information sessions for UK and Irish police officers looking to make the move to WA.

To complement the mission, advertising across multiple platforms will be rolled out in the UK and Ireland over the next month. This includes existing campaigns tailored to specific professions, such as the ‘Build a life in WA‘ campaign to attract construction and manufacturing workers, WAPOL’s ‘Let’s Join Forces‘, WA Health’s ‘Belong’, the Department of Education’s ‘Teach in WA‘, and Tourism WA’s campaign aimed at working holiday makers.

The secure, quality jobs and lifestyle offered by WA will also be promoted through a $300,000 campaign under the ‘Western Australia – It’s Like No Other‘ branding.

 “We have seen economic growth that has defied global trends and continued to create quality, well-paying jobs,” said WA Premier Mark McGowan. 

“Right now, we have almost 31,000 job vacancies across the state in many different industries, at all levels of expertise. To fill these vacancies, we know that we need more people to call Western Australia home.”