Dubbo's low two per cent unemployment rate is among the reasons Regional Development Australia (RDA) Orana is suggesting the federal government help promote career opportunities in the city and region to jobless people elsewhere.
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RDA Orana's director of regional development, Dubbo-based Megan Dixon, is writing a submission with recommendations aimed at addressing a "critical labour shortage".
This week she reported of the region's 2.7 per cent unemployment rate bucking the national trend, based on latest Small Area Labour Market data.
The national unemployment rate is currently 5.6 per cent.
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"At a time when we expect our numbers to be going up, the Orana region bucked national trends and the numbers went down," Mrs Dixon said.
"Our region has dropped to 2.7 per cent with several local government areas below three per cent.
"While it is a good sign for employees, the issue remains critical for employers in the region."
Job vacancies are rising in the region with 591 currently listed.
"The highest number of vacancies is within the field of health, followed by mining and construction," Mrs Dixon said.
At a time when we expect our numbers to be going up, the Orana region bucked national trends and the numbers went down.
- Regional Development Australia Orana's director of regional development Megan Dixon
"There has also been a recent surge in roles in the mechanical industry."
RDA Orana will be "formalising the issue" through the submission.
Mrs Dixon will ask the government to "provide funding for areas that have more jobs than people to help us market the jobs to areas with high unemployment".
She will also seek support for the introduction of incentives which "encourage and make it easier for people to move into inland regional areas".
"Streamline the process for access to migrants in the workforce, provide businesses with the relevant resources to recruit and retain workers," Mrs Dixon will say in the submission.
"We also recommend the inclusion of temporary migrant workers in the JobKeeper payments, enabling businesses to maintain their workers and allowing for migrant workers to stay in the region.
"We recommend more support for start-ups and fledgling businesses."
The director reports of agriculture, mining, health, construction and manufacturing moving forward during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We've a really robust economy with stable and growth sectors driving labour demand," she said.
"If you look at future projects, there is high job growth.
"We are more than stable. We are thriving."
