A field of dreams

Inalmost every conversation

I have about moving to the regions, the first response is ‘there’s no jobs in the country’. And this is often from people who should know better.

So Regional Australia Institute’s latest research paper, titled The Big Skills Challenge, is a welcome contribution to busting this annoyingly persistent myth.

The research paper shows in March this year there were 93,000 advertised jobs in regional Australia. And, as all regional employers know, there will be at least this number again that are not advertised.

For many of us, word of mouth or using our various network, is a more effective way of attracting the right talent.

Another important observation is the shift in the types of jobs available.

Whereas once there would have been a focus on semi-skilled jobs in agriculture and industry, these types of jobs only make up 9.5 percent of advertised roles.

Professional roles in areas such as medical practice, nursing, education and business make up 26.7 percent of advertisements. Skilled trades in automotive, engineering, construction, hairdressing, information technology and telecom-