Nearly half of all metro workers say they would move to the regions for a pay rise, study reveals

Moving to the regions has never sounded better with almost half of all metropolitan workers saying they would move regionally for a better salary. The Regional Australia Institute released a study saying that 46 per cent of all city workers said that a pay rise would persuade them into taking a job in regional Australia. On top of this, two in five Australians said they would be willing to move regional if a financial incentive was involved, such as a recruitment bonus or relocation payment. The study shows that in regional Australia as a whole, there are currently 91,000 jobs on offer, and filling these vacancies would provide the economy with a $1.2 billion boost. RAI chief executive officer Liz Ritchie said that WA was constantly increasing regional recruitment to bring people out of the city. “In regional WA there were more than 6400 jobs advertised online in May, up 2.9 per cent on the previous month,” she said. “This year regional migration is up 17 per cent, and it’s continuing to grow as the economic downturn prompts Australians to search for a more affordable lifestyle.” The increasing demand for work in the regions comes with a sharp decline in jobs available in capital cities. Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn said the trades were an important industry for regional Australia. “Moving to regional Australia offers tradies the opportunity to tap into a growing market with high housing and infrastructure development demand,” she said. “Tradies who move to the regions will play a vital role in building the communities of tomorrow and contribute to the economic growth this country desperately needs.” According to the RAI, the five most in demand professions for the Geraldton region are: