SA government releases New State of Mind ad campaign

SA has just put 97 more jobs on its high-priority visa list – as well as dropping a new ad in the eastern states to convince workers to make the trip. See the video

From librarians to naval architects, the state government has launched new efforts to attract skilled overseas workers to South Australia to plug critical workforce shortages.

It is also preparing to kickstart a new campaign to lure young people from the eastern states to live and work in SA, where Premier Peter Malinauskas says people can have a “global career”.

From September 4, the “New State of Mind” campaign will target 20 to 40-year-olds and include online and TV advertisements.

It will feature the success stories of some of the most high profile young people who have chosen to call SA home, including Adelaide United star Josh Cavallo, who made headlines around the globe for becoming the first openly gay professional footballer.

Also featured in the campaign is satellite guru Flavia Tata Nardini, who co-founded Fleet Space Technologies in Adelaide after moving from Italy.

Mr Malinauskas said the campaign would send a “clear message” to young people living interstate.

Co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies Flavia Tata Nardini. Picture: Tom Huntley

Josh Cavallo.

“You can have a global career in South Australia, living, studying and working alongside the world’s current and emerging leaders, coming together to achieve great things,” he told The Advertiser.

Cavallo, who was recruited by Adelaide United from Melbourne, said SA was “very special to me personally, because it’s where I found my wings”.

“It only took me about eight months to realise that this is the place that I want to show the world who I am,” he said.

SA has historically grappled with a “brain drain”, characterised by young people fleeing the state in search of greater opportunities. The trend reversed during the Covid-19 pandemic, but there were signs earlier this year it was resuming.

Ahead of the federal government’s jobs and skills summit in Canberra next week, Deputy Premier Susan Close announced 97 new professions had been added to the state’s high priority occupation list under the General Skilled Migration scheme.

The total number of occupations now eligible for the visa stream is more than 500.

The new professions added for the 2022-23 financial year vary wildly, but there are notable inclusions in the defence and hi-tech sector, such as aeronautical engineer, naval architect and software engineer.

Other high priority jobs that the state government hopes overseas workers can fill include horse trainers, zookeepers, librarians, dentists, emergency services workers and journalists.

An offshoot of the New State of Mind campaign, the state government will also roll out the “Magnet State” program helping new arrivals find “hidden gems” around SA and provide service directories in multiple languages.

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