Too many jobs and not enough workers is a problem plaguing almost every rural and regional town, but Inverell isn't going to take it lying down.
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Almost 30 organisations from in and around the Inverell area gathered to workshop solutions to get and keep skilled and unskilled workers here in the Sapphire City.
The demand for staff has hit an all time high in regional Australia, with more than 66,200 jobs available in regional towns and cities across the country.
In Inverell, the groups outlined their desperate need for medical staff, teachers, mechanics, hospitality workers, meat workers - both skilled and unskilled positions.
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President of the Inverell Chamber of Commerce and Industry Georgina King said it had to be "more than a talk-fest".
"It was a fabulous turnout," she said
"We now have a working group and we have people enthusiastic about doing something, and there are results coming out of it."
She said it was a meeting that highlighted common threads throughout businesses' experience, and hoped the outcome would be a cohesive, collaborative plan of action to address the issues at hand.
Two of the main solutions welcomed at the meet were a social media campaign to encourage younger workers to Inverell, and the creation of a one-stop-shop hub collating all the available opportunities in town.
However there were issues raised that may need more attention, like the changing attitude of workers and the difficulty in securing accommodation.
The Regional Institute of Australia (RAI) CEO Liz Ritchie said demand is the strongest seen since records began.
In March, a record breaking number of jobs were advertised in regional areas of NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
The RAI is working on two key areas to capitalise on city-dwellers' rising sentiment to leave metropolitan areas after the pandemic.
This was on-par with the roundtable discussions right here, with the group planning on meeting again soon to report back.
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