But correction of the region's critically-low unemployment rate of 1.9 per cent as of December 2019 will not be enough to support recovery and future growth, according to Regional Development Australia Orana.

Its director of regional development Megan Dixon says the ranks of the unemployed are largely occupied by unskilled workers who are unable to fill skilled vacancies in growing and divergent industries in the region.

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The director is calling for government intervention.

"The real issue for us is that in recovery, demand will outstrip supply and we will need government policy that rewards Australians for moving into areas such as ours, where high demand for labour exists," she said.

Mrs Dixon thinks the pandemic may result in the region's unemployment rate lining up with the NSW and Australian rates of 4.4 per cent and 4.9 per cent, respectively, as of December last year.

"But I don't see our rates going higher as we do have recovery in some sectors such as agriculture and growth in other sectors, mining and health," she said.

"Our biggest challenge is getting people to want to work in these industries and overcoming the training lag that occurs as well, which is why skilled migration has been quite important to the region."

Low unemployment in the region has been driven by an ageing population and little population growth.

Mrs Dixon said it had led to under-staffed businesses and competition for labour which "pushes wages up".

"Access to labour also affects productivity which affects the cost structure and profitability of businesses," she said.