91,000 jobs on offer: recruitment drive highlights value of regional roles

The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) is launching “the biggest regional recruitment drive in Australia’s history” in a bid to fill some of the more than 91,000 jobs on offer in regional Australia. 

The drive comes as new data shows nearly half of all city workers could be persuaded to move to the regions for a better-paying job with cost-of-living pressures driving job dissatisfaction in all major capital cities.

If the vacancies in regional Australia were to be filled, regional Australia would gain “an instant economic boost” of more than $1.2 billion, and regional communities would be better serviced, particularly in critical areas such as aged care, early childhood education and care (ECEC), and other core sectors and industries. 

In a recent study commissioned by RAI, more than one million urban workers said they are dissatisfied with their job, with the main factor driving job dissatisfaction being the fact that salaries are failing to keep up with the soaring cost of city living. 

Nearly half (46 per cent) of all city workers said a salary increase would persuade them to take a job in regional Australia, with 2 in 5 saying they’d be convinced to move to regional Australia if a financial incentive (e.g. recruitment bonus or relocation payment) was involved.

To support Australians looking for a better-paying regional job RAI’s ‘Move to More’ website has been updated in partnership with SEEK, to host a dedicated jobs page, showcasing every regional opportunity on offer in the one place, making it easier for regionally-curious job seekers to find their dream job.

“In 2023, regional migration is up 17 per cent and it’s continuing to grow,” CEO of the Regional Australia Institute Liz Ritchie said, “especially as the economic downturn prompts Australians to search for a more affordable lifestyle.”

“A job in regional Australia can offer fast-tracked career progression, life-changing experiences and a compelling salary package.”  

“With a plethora of fulfilling, exciting and meaningful jobs on offer in the regions and the lifestyle to match, now is the time to consider a career in regional Australia,” she added.

To find out where your career could take you, visit the Move to More website.