Regional Australia Institute calls for urgent skills recognition reform to fill 71,000 regional jobs
29 May 2025
The Regional Australia Institute is calling for urgent skills recognition reform to fill 71,000 regional jobs, build houses, and boost access to healthcare.
Workforce shortages are at severe levels across regional Australia, particularly in essential services like health, education, and housing, meaning too many people in regional Australia cannot access the services they need.
Campaign Director of Activate Australia’s Skills, Dane Moores, said Australia’s skills recognition system is overly complex, costly and inefficient, preventing many skilled migrants from working in their qualified fields in regional Australia.
“The problems with our skills recognition system continue to hold back our regional communities. The system is full of unnecessary barriers that stop qualified people from contributing their expertise, hampering the social and economic growth of the regions,” Mr Moores said.
CEO of the Regional Australia Institute, Liz Ritchie, said “Addressing skills recognition is vital to improve access to healthcare, build new homes and to deliver essential services in regional Australia.
“Streamlining the recognition of overseas qualifications will ensure that skilled individuals already living in the regions can more fully contribute their professional expertise, allowing them to fill these crucial roles.
“Regional Australia is growing because more people want to raise their families in the regions. Our recent research has 2 in 5 (40%) Australian city-dwellers wanting to live in regional Australia. But, to meet current and future demand, regional Australia needs more services in healthcare, schools, and housing.
“If we reform the costly, bureaucratic and complex skills recognition system, we can get skilled migrants who are living in skills purgatory to fill the 71,000 jobs regional Australia needs to be an economic powerhouse, and the best place to live.”
Kate Sowden, Executive Director of regional workforce social enterprise Work+Stay, agreed and said urgent reform of skills recognition was needed to unblock qualified workers in the regions.
“With regional Australia growing and having tens of thousands of unfilled jobs, we need to be doing everything we can to harness every skilled worker and remove unnecessary barriers that hold them back.”
“Fixing the skills and qualification recognition system will boost the supply of talent, helping regional communities fill skills gaps and improve the delivery of services, from healthcare to construction. It only has upsides.”
The Activate Australia’s Skills campaign, convened by non-profit SSI and supported by more than 100 organisations, is calling on the federal government to implement key skills recognition reforms:
- Establish one national governance system for all overseas skills and qualifications recognition, including an ombudsman with regulatory power to provide independent oversight and transparency.
- Create a more joined-up system that links skills recognition for migration purposes with licensing and accreditation for employment purposes.
- Provide financial support for individuals to remove cost barriers, and an online portal providing clear information and guidance.
- Set up Migrant Employment Pathway Hubs with skills recognition navigators to get qualified people working in their professions again.