The vast patch of the state was in the top four Australian regions for biggest jumps in job vacancies so far this year, new data shows.

Regional job vacancies set another record in the month of September, reaching more than 71,300 advertised jobs, of which 1766 were at Dubbo and western NSW, reports the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), which has sourced figures from the Department of Education Skills, Employment and Business.

More than one-third of job vacancies at Dubbo and western NSW were professional occupations, at 668.

Clerical and administrative workers, and community and personal service workers were the next two most in need.

In the think tank's latest monthly job update, RAI chief economist Dr Kim Houghton says labour shortages are "holding back economic recovery in most of regional Australia as vacancies are growing faster than inflows of workers".

Dubbo and western NSW was fourth on the list of regions with the biggest hikes in vacancies in the year to date, up by 45 per cent.

Only Darwin, up by 56 per cent, Hobart and south-east Tasmania, up by 52 per cent, and Launceston and north-east Tasmania, up by 48 per cent, recorded larger rises in the same period.

The RAI, which marked its 10th anniversary in September, contests the ongoing high rates of vacancy growth across regional Australia are pointing to ever-tightening labour markets and intensifying recruitment difficulties.

Nationally, the disruption caused by COVID saw falls in vacancies for lower-skilled jobs, a trend which is starting to reverse, though the total level of employment in lower-skilled jobs is still below where it was before the pandemic, Dr Houghton says.

In regional Australia the occupations in greatest demand are professionals (27 per cent of advertised vacancies), technicians and trades workers (15 per cent) and clerical and administrative workers (13 per cent), the data shows.

These were generally well-paid positions, and with the lower cost of housing and great lifestyle options in regional Australia they should be attractive positions, Dr Houghton said in the update.

But Australia's labour markets are "not as mobile as they should be" and workers are not yet moving to where the jobs are, he says.

The update cites Dubbo and western NSW as an example of a region where jobs growth significantly outpaces population growth.

The region recorded 3 per cent vacancy growth during the decade to mid 2020, but a 1 per cent decline in population, Dr Houghton said.

"To build the post-pandemic recovery, it is in the nation's interest that regional employers who are willing and able to grow become more confident that they'll be able to find the skilled workers that they need," he said.

"A lift in relocations to regions, and a boost to post-school learning opportunities in regions to help skill up the local workforce, are two critical priorities in meeting regional skills needs in coming months."