Driving Regional Workforce Solutions - How Local Partnerships Are Making a Difference

Regional Australia is feeling the strain as the movement of goods, people, and services across rural landscapes face mounting challenges. From remote freight corridors to rural rail lines, the transport supply chain sector is grappling with issues that go beyond day-to-day operations - touching workforce availability, infrastructure, and productivity. As the backbone of regional economies, transport and logistics remain pivotal, yet structural and emerging challenges continue to test resilience.

Workforce Shortages and Skills Gaps

One of the most pressing concerns is the shortage of skilled workers particularly in regional supply chains. Regional areas are not only struggling with labour shortages but also a lack of training programs tailored to rural needs. According to the recent Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) report on the food supply chain workforce, 85% of food production workers are based in regional areas, yet access to housing, essential services, and training remains challenging.

Insights from the Regions Rising National Summit

The Regions Rising National Summit, held in October, highlighted both opportunities and challenges for regional Australia. Data presented at the summit revealed that 37% of Australians now live in regional areas, with the population growing from 9.78 million in 2023 to 9.91 million in 2024, a 1.3% increase. Interest in regional living continues to rise, with 40% of metropolitan residents considering a move to the regions.

However, the summit also underscored critical issues:

• Youth disengagement: One in six regional youth are not in employment, education, or training, compared to one in ten in metropolitan areas.
• AI literacy gaps: A significant need exists to improve digital and AI literacy to ensure regional communities are not left behind.
• Housing shortages: A major barrier to employment and economic development.

The summit explored strategies to build future-ready regions, focusing on emerging technologies, skills pipelines tailored to regional needs, and inclusive housing and infrastructure plans.

Collaborative Solutions in Action

In response, ISA is developing a collaboration plan to ensure rural areas have a voice in program development. This includes regional engagement planned for 2026, where findings from projects such as the Career Information Project and Livestock Transport Training will be applied to create more rural-focused solutions.

Across Australia, partnerships between Workforce Australia Local Jobs and Regional Development Australia (RDA) are proving instrumental in addressing these challenges. These collaborations connect communities and businesses to jobs, training, and long-term workforce strategies.

The Local Jobs Program deploys Job Coordinators in 51 employment regions, acting as on-the-ground connectors between businesses, community groups, and employment services. Their role is to identify workforce needs and develop tailored solutions.

Complementing this, RDA staff drive strategic regional planning and economic development, acting as a conduit between government, industry, and community to ensure local priorities inform national investment decisions.

“The insights we get from these partnerships are invaluable,” says David Forbes, ISA’s Regional Engagement Manager. “They help us tailor our discussions to the realities on the ground and ensure our strategies reflect local needs.”

Both Workforce Australia and RDA have been instrumental in supporting ISA’s community outreach, providing grassroots intelligence and promoting engagement with key stakeholders before and after events.

Stay connected on LinkedIn for updates on upcoming roundtables in 2025.