New research shows ECEC wages are better in remote locations

Wages are higher across key professions with persistent skills shortages in rural and remote Australia, including early childhood education and care (ECEC), new research has shown. 

There are 85 occupations where net incomes are higher in country Australia compared to the capitals, according to an analysis by the Regional Australia Institute.

ECEC professionals were one of several employment groups noted in the most recent Beyond City Limits report as benefiting from a higher wage in remote and rural roles, along with teachers, mechanics, general practitioners, chief executives, chefs, cleaners and bakers. 

This, report authors note, is likely a reflection not only of a range of employment incentives offered by governments and employers, but also of the high demand for services in these regions. 

For primary and secondary teachers, while incomes were slightly lower for those working in inner regional and outer regional areas, remote and very remote locations were very much a different case.

For remote schools, the pay was 8.5 per cent and 8.7 percent better respectively, while in very remote schools, primary educators are paid a massive 19.7 per cent more and secondary teachers 6.6 per cent above city averages.

Things only get better for early childhood teachers.

In very remote locations, early childhood teachers earn 19.4 per cent more than their more metropolitan peers.

The research used census and tax data to look at incomes across occupations, before factoring in age, gender, education and housing costs.

Wages were slightly lower overall in inner regional areas, such as Albury, Dubbo, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga in NSW, the Latrobe region in Victoria and Toowoomba in Queensland.

The findings of the Beyond City Limits report were significant not just for regional economies, but the national workforce, the institute’s chief executive Liz Ritchie said.

“This report busts the long-held myth that you have to live in a major city to earn a high income,” Ms Ritchie said.

Australians, she believes, need to know about the career opportunities in regional areas, where there were 67,000 job vacancies in January.

“There are plenty of good jobs, where you can earn a very good income,” she said.

“Combine that with the regions’ livability factors, like less traffic, more affordable housing and access to nature and you can understand why so many people have already made the move.”

The research recommended several policy focus areas, including promotion of regional jobs and social infrastructure investments.

It also advocated providing information for job seekers for regional job vacancies that offer comparable or higher incomes than the major cities, and more promotion of the many benefits of regional living, including income, lifestyle and housing affordability.

The report stated that more needs to be done to encourage skilled migrants to settle and work in regional areas, digital connectivity needs to be improved by setting a minimum standard for connectivity in all regions and more regional housing, infrastructure, health and education services are required to ensure living standards keep pace with population growth and allow the regions to remain as attractive locations to start a new job and settle.

The institute has now launched its online interactive Regional Jobs Guide to help workers understand country labour markets.

Access the Beyond City Limits report here.