Mid North Coast Faces Significant Labour and Skills Shortages, New Study Reveals
A recent study commissioned by Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast (RDAMNC) and undertaken by Charles Sturt University (CSU) has highlighted the escalating labour and skills shortages across the region, presenting a major challenge to its economic growth. The 2024 Skills Audit, released today, identifies several critical issues, including workforce shortages, skill gaps, limited vocational training opportunities, and infrastructure constraints such as housing affordability and access to early childhood education.
The audit reveals that the Mid North Coast (MNC) has a lower proportion of working-age individuals compared to the state average, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to find the skilled workforce they require. Simultaneously, the region is experiencing a notable outflow of skilled professionals, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, aged care, and construction. Moreover, the study highlights the region’s limited access to vocational training, which forces many workers to travel to larger cities for education and development.
Other key challenges outlined in the report include the lack of affordable housing, limited childcare services, and inadequate infrastructure such as transport and digital connectivity—factors that significantly hinder both workers and businesses in the region.
The study puts forward several actionable recommendations to address these challenges, including:
- The development of a cohesive regional housing strategy that aligns with workforce planning.
- Ensuring universal access to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) to support workforce participation, particularly for women.
- Strengthening the regional skills ecosystem through closer collaboration between employers, training providers, and community services.
- Enhancing infrastructure to improve transport, housing, and digital connectivity across the region.
These recommendations aim to provide a strategic framework to overcome the region’s current barriers and foster sustainable economic growth for the Mid North Coast.
View the 2024 Mid North Coast Skills Audit HERE.
View the Snapshot of the 2024 Mid North Coast Skills Audit HERE.
View the Media Release of the 2024 Mid North Coast Skills Audit HERE.
Updated: 21/03/2025
One of the four pillars in the Regional Investment Framework (RIF) is Investing in People. Within the definitions provided by the RIF the education, availability and accessibility of people is captured. These two projects are proposed as the 2023-2024 lead projects to assist RDAMNC and our stakeholders understand the labour market features properly.
The last skills audit conducted on the Mid North Coast was 2019. The significant international, national and local events which have transpired since that time have had an impact on the labour market. The workforce challenges of skills and workforce attraction have now shifted to a full shortage in people, housing, skills, accessibility of training packages and worse linkages between industry and education institutions. The team at RDAMNC has partnered with Charles Sturt University to deliver this research project.
This project will assist us in gathering the necessary information to establish projects that will assist in the areas prioritise by our stakeholders across the region and a preliminary report on findings will be available after September 2024. The final reports will be academic, peer reviewed papers which are planned to be available in 2025.