If you’re imagining a life outside the capital cities, it makes sense to pick a career with lots of opportunities. But what jobs are in demand in regional Australia? Here are three trends to keep your eye on.
Migration boom
Back in 2020 at the start of the pandemic, city dwellers started thinking about moving somewhere a little less crowded.
Six years later, that trend continues. According to the Regional Movers Index, people moving from capital cities to the regions outnumbered the opposite journey by almost 30% in the March quarter this year. This steady growth means plenty of opportunities for a thriving career.
What should I study?
New residents need new places to live and work, so there’s lots of demand in construction for architects, engineers and tradespeople.
There’s also a growing need for support services like health and education. That means jobs for teachers, doctors and nurses.
Aging Australia
Like many advanced countries, Australia’s population is gradually getting older. Regional areas already have, on average, older populations. So this trend is hitting hard in the regions.
An aging population presents a lot of challenges, but it also brings opportunities. In particular, the Jobs and Skills Roadmap for Regional Australia predicts a lot of demand for health and care workers.
What should I study?
The health and care sectors are full of options for a fulfilling regional career. Doctors and nurses for one, but also support workers, occupational therapists and medical physicists.
Clean energy transformation
Australia’s electricity grid is going green, fast. We’re installing huge amounts of wind turbines and solar panels, as well as batteries to store power when the sun’s shining and release it after the sun sets. And a lot of this generation happens in regional Australia.
This trend is set to continue longer than you’d expect. Recent booms in AI and electric vehicles means Australia will keep needing more power, and other industries are likely to electrify too.
With so much generated in regional areas, we’ll need upgrades to the grid to get that energy where it’s needed. Although there is another option – data centres, like the proposed 2.16 gigawatt Western Downs project, are popping up in regional areas where power is being generated.
What should I study?
The clean energy transformation is fueling a range of regional careers. From sustainability experts to electricians, electrical engineers to AI specialists, there’s plenty of opportunity in the regions!
