Victorian Government Spruiks Regional Jobs Growth

Vehicles drive along a street in Daylesford, Australia on Sept. 10, 2021. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Regional Victoria saw the largest job increase across Australia last month with 7,300 people finding employment, resulting in the lowest unemployment rate nationwide at 3.5 percent.

It brings the total number of employed people in regional Victoria to 821,800, according to government figures.

The area also created 163,000 new jobs over the past decade, the highest growth rate over ten years nationwide, at 25 percent.

The region has consistently maintained a low unemployment rate; the latest figure shows a rise of just 1.1 percent since Sept. 2023 and 0.4 percent since May 2023.

Treasurer Tim Pallas praised projects such as the offshore wind zone in the Southern Ocean off western Victoria, for creating thousands of jobs for engineers, labourers, technicians, and others.

“Continuing growth in regional employment is more proof that by investing in regional communities we’re helping to create jobs and keep our economy growing,” he said in a statement (pdf).

In Warrnambool and the Southwest, close to Portland, where the wind zone is located, the unemployment rate is 1.8 percent. In nearby Bendigo it’s 2.2 percent, in Geelong it’s 3.2 percent, and in Shepparton, it’s just 1.4 percent.

Additionally, tourism directly resulted in one out of every 11 jobs in regional Victoria.

“Regional tourism projects attract visitors and jobs, but first they have to attract investment–and that’s where this funding comes in,” Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos explained.

Regional Victoria attracts tourists worldwide to coastal visits like the Twelve Apostles, Phillip Island, and the Mornington Peninsula.

The increase in regional jobs also coincides with a nearly 20 percent rise in regional Victoria’s population, reaching 2.3 million compared to the previous census, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.

The Surf Coast had the largest population growth at 45.70 percent, followed by Mitchell with 42.80 percent, Bass Coast with 37.74 percent, Baw Baw with 34.44 percent, and Mansfield with 28.95 percent.

“Whether they’re seeking more affordable housing, a quieter lifestyle, or just the serenity, regional areas are making regional Victoria more appealing than ever before,” an RACV spokeperson said.

Population Boom Job Surge, but Challenges Remain

The population boost has brought its own challenges, however.

“Across our regional and rural areas, it’s getting harder and harder to find a place to live—whether you’re buying or renting—and that’s one of the biggest challenges our regions face in attracting and keeping workers,” the Victorian government noted in September last year.

“Over the last five years, rents in regional Victoria have skyrocketed by 40 percent, and the number of new lettings fell by 3.7 percent in the last financial year.”

Moreover, job cuts affected the region’s employment.

The Victorian opposition recently criticised the Labor government for cutting 130 jobs at Regional Development Victoria and announcing staff redundancies.

“The Labor Government need to wake up and realise the damage they’re causing regional Victoria by abandoning regional development,” said MP Melinda Bath.

Metro Melbourne Dominates State Employment

According to the latest data, Melbourne, Victoria’s capital city, maintains the a higher unemployment rate than the regions, at 4.1 percent.

However, metropolitan Melbourne still has 2.8 million workers, 76 percent of the state, who make up most of Victoria’s employment.

Inner metropolitan Melbourne has the highest employment proportion at 28.5 percent, followed by southern metropolitan at 17.9 percent, eastern metropolitan at 16.5 percent, northern metropolitan at 14.3 percent, western metropolitan at 13.6 percent, and inner-south east at 9.1 percent.

Deloitte Access Economics predicts that Victoria’s gross state product will grow by 2.5 percent in 2023-24, the highest growth rate in the country.