Stay in SA bonus proposed by Committee for Adelaide in five-point future workforce plan

South Australia’s natural beauty and slew of icons are not enough to keep skilled workers here, with radical calls for a cash bonus to help retain them. Have your say.

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A “Stay in SA” bonus is being urged for young Adelaideans and international graduates as part of a five-point plan to attract and retain the state’s future workforce.

In a bid to position South Australia as a destination of choice for future talent, the Committee for Adelaide think tank also is urging measures including build-to-rent housing close to the CBD and in key regional areas.

The retention bonus is called for as part of plans to reverse a traditional brain drain by retaining young people and international students.

The Committee’s plan is to “encourage young Adelaideans and international graduates (higher education and VET) to stay and work in South Australia by offering a ‘Stay in SA’ bonus”.

This would be “for people aged 20 to 25, who complete a qualification and secure full-time-

employment in SA for a set tenure (i.e. two to three years)”.

No cash figure is suggested but the Northern Territory government in 2020 dumped a relocation incentive offering payments of $3000 for singles, $5000 for couples and $8000 for families comprising two adult and two children.

It would appear we can’t simply rely on these South Aussie icons to keep our skilled talent at home.

Committee for Adelaide chief executive officer Sam Dighton cited Premier Peter Malinauskas telling The Advertiser’s Defending Australia summit in May that “an incredible number of skilled workers” would be needed for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine project alone.

“The reality is that we simply do not have enough people in South Australia to do all the things we want to do as a state; to deliver the pipeline of major infrastructure projects, to grow key sectors including defence, manufacturing, health and aged care, and importantly, to build the housing stock needed to cater for current and projected population growth,” Mr Dighton said.

“ … While there has been a sustained and concerted effort from many areas of government and industry over a number of years, it’s clear we need to inject some new ideas and strategies to tackle this issue and position Adelaide, South Australia, as a destination of choice for future talent.”

Other measures in the five-point plan include financial incentives for skilled workers to relocate, paid internships in industry and government, along with a call to “glamorise vocational education, training and a career in trades”.