A joint taskforce of Wagga-based skilled migration advocates and tertiary researchers will soon conduct a survey to identify the region's most dire workplace shortage.
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Regional Development Australia (RDA) Riverina has partnered with Charles Sturt University in mapping the Riverina's industries to determine which key skills are lacking.
"We want to get a clearer understanding of the workforce shortages," said RDA CEO Rachel Whiting.
"For skilled migration, part of what we need to do is be able to prove the need for more.
"It's often frustrating that it's so difficult to hire skilled migrants in some fields. It can be difficult for both the migrant and the employers."
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Although the plan for the region-wide survey has been in the works since last year, Ms Whiting recognised the unfortunate timing of its delivering during the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We hope it won't change the outcome of the survey, we hope that we can get a picture of what the normal scenario is because at the moment it's an unusual situation," Ms Witing said.
"Anecdotally we know that the agritech industry often has difficulty finding workers.
"Engineering, automation, allied health, there's are all areas that already have difficulty, before the coronavirus problems came too."
The survey is available online to residents and business owners, and will be open until April 3.
Primarily, the researchers are looking to hear the perspectives of small business owners.
Professor Oliver Burmeister at the Orange campus of Charles Sturt University has joined the initiative to lend his perspective as an expert statistician.
"If we can establish where the shortages are, we can discuss with small businesses and enterprises what the strategies are to fill them," Professor Burmeister said.
"We'll do the survey and then the hope is to do some focus groups to hopefully find ways of addwssing the problem."
While the emphasis is on uplifting the region's skilled migration rate, Professor Burmeister and Ms Whiting are expecting the results to boost local and existing workers in the region as well.
"We have an influx of refugees seeking jobs and we need ways to get them into employment," Professor Burmeister said.
"We could do more to entice city dwellers to relocate into ag fields."
Ms Whiting expects the survey will also buoyed the confidences of local workers to move into areas of job security within their own backyards.
"It will assist in providing training opportunities for workers, because there will be more evidence on which skills are needed and where," Ms Whiting said.
"Hopefully it will mean young people can have confidence in their job prospectives and will have more reason to stay in the region to take up employment here."