The Health and Community Services sector has seen an explosion in job availabilities over the last decade fuelled largely by an ageing population, higher standards of living and primary care models evolving according to Dr. Kim Houghton, Director of Strategic Economic Solutions – an economist with over 30 years’ experience. 

“We’ve seen job vacancy numbers triple over the last decade in these industries according to Jobs and Skills Atlas data.” 

“The challenge is that the timeframe is relatively tight for communities – particularly regional communities, to adapt to.” 

“A primary school aged child might be sitting around the kitchen table discussing career opportunities in tourism or agriculture with their parents and by the time they graduate the market looks very different.” 

Dr Houghton, who spent 8 years as the Chief Economist with the Regional Australia Institute, now specialises in helping regional communities navigate the economic challenges they face.  

“Economic theory is often numbers based. For example, its solution to skills shortages is to expect that employers will simply increase wages but the situation on the ground in regional communities is far more complex.” 

“I prefer to think of regional communities as an eco-system where employers, educators and parents need to be communicating and understanding what the employment pipeline is in order to be prepared.” 

“Attraction and retention are two issues but equipping people within the community is another. A lack of understanding around the pipeline and the scaling back of high-level certificates as well as Bachelor degrees in regional areas, has not helped.” 

“This is particularly noteworthy because the data is very clear that people who have deep roots in a community are more likely to stay there and any break in that learning chain, even for a small period (for example, moving away to study), diminishes those statistics.” 

Dr Houghton has praised the work of Think Regional – describing it as the ‘portal’ needed: 

“This portal provides a connection between regional career builders, employers and educators.” 

Having everything in one spot is important to he adds: 

“The sum is greater than its parts, particularly when you are speaking to family units who will have different needs and interests.” 

“For the South Coast, the importance of showcasing the liveability factor cannot be understated also…. Demand for health, personal services and professionals is high across the whole nation so everyone is competing for the same skill sets.” 

“We know that decisions often come down to more than just numbers so it’s important for regions to put their best foot forward – like the South Coast has.” Noted Dr. Houghton