CEO of Regional Australia Institute (RAI) has said that the statement that there are “no jobs in regional Australia” is a damaging generalisation and is particularly misguided right now.
“In the last two years, national labour market data shows that job vacancies in regions have gone up by 20 percent. This is in stark contrast to our major capital cities where the figures have only risen by 10 percent.” Mr Archer said.
He said he would like people to challenge one of the most persistent and unhelpful generalisations people make in relation to regional jobs.
“Of course, there will always be some regions at the wrong end of a business cycle and there are certainly areas with entrenched unemployment challenges,” Mr Archer added.
“But this is also true of the major cities which are generally assumed to be fountains of opportunity for all.
“Many other regions are chronically short of additional workers, have been so for many years and will become more so as the local population ages.
“This is why the RAI has been making the case over the last few months for increasing targeted migration to regions experiencing short and long-term permanent workforce shortages.
Over the coming months, RAI will be providing more evidence relating to job prospects in regional Australia and the opportunities that exist for skilled and unskilled workers.
“We will profile the great, the good and also the challenging and through this effort we hope to underpin a more informed conversation about employment opportunities beyond our largest cities,” Mr Archer said.
You can find out more and stay updated on the RAI website.