Tamworth council expands search for solutions to worker shortage

On Tuesday, August 15, Tamworth council hosted an economic forum for community leaders to propose ideas and explore options for addressing skills and labour shortages in the region.

"Tamworth's got the same problems we're seeing globally, there's a shortage of workers post-pandemic, the workforce is changing, we had a pause in migration, but the region's actually been doing well. Population growth is solid, but there's an opportunity to do better," Founder of ProjectsJSA Jack Archer said.

Mr Archer's company has been hired to lead work on the Namoi Regional Workforce Strategy, a strategic plan designed to be the guiding document on attracting workers for five local councils in the Namoi valley.

As an expert on regional development issues, Mr Archer was invited to speak on the progress of the strategy at the forum.

"We talked about where people are coming from, a lot are coming from overseas, the Hunter, or Sydney, which is supporting really strong population growth," he said.

But Mr Archer also said Tamworth and the surrounding councils - Gunnedah, Gwydir, Liverpool Plains, and Walcha - could improve on retaining the people who come to the regions by fostering a greater sense of community and inclusion.

"Anybody who's moved to a new place knows it's those first couple of months that make a huge difference. Making new connections, joining a sporting club, those sorts of things we can do a better job with," he said.

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While the forum didn't produce specific initiatives, councillor Brooke Southwell said there were "hundreds of ideas" discussed, such as a social media campaign to target sector-specific workers as a way to advertise the region without burdening ratepayers.

"Tamworth's growing at around 1.2 per cent, which is good ... but we have got a lot of issues. We need healthcare workers, we need people in education, construction, and mining jobs," Cr Southwell said.

She also said there are plenty of avenues for marketing the region to potential workers that haven't yet been explored.

"One of the ideas on our table was talking about what Tamworth isn't: we don't have long commutes to work, we don't have tolls, we don't have big lines in the shops, and we don't have expensive living. These are things we can turn around and market ourselves as a great place to live," Cr Southwell said.

One program Tamworth Regional Council has already committed to is the return of new residents events to welcome the city's newest arrivals.

But Cr Southwell also said it can't be all up to council.

"It can't be all on council's shoulders, we really need a community-wide, holistic approach to this issue," she said.

At council's most recent meeting, councillors approved funding to support a series of events - three per year - to give new residents an opportunity to meet community organisations, service clubs, volunteer groups, sporting clubs, government service providers, hobby groups, and property providers.

The last event was a hit with local businesses, with more than 90 per cent reporting interest in more events like it in the future, according to a council survey.

The next new residents' event will be a picnic-style meetup in Viaduct Park, in October.

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