Government looks to lure hundreds of jobs to the regions

The COVID pandemic forced millions to work remotely, and now the Deputy Premier is working to lure big business to start up offices in the bush to capitalise on regional opportunities

Companies who shift operations into regional NSW will benefit from additional government assistance in a bid to get more firms employing workers in the bush.

Recent figures reveal more than 54,000 jobs in Regional Australia were advertised online last October, up 7 per cent from the record-breaking 50,000 in September.

In a bid to get more people on the bandwagon, the government will provide a new ‘‘concierge service’’ to help companies develop business plans and establish headquarters in regional areas.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro is challenging businesses to boost satellite operations in the regions or allow employees to work from home while enjoying a tree change.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the government is already working with a number of key businesses in the technology and energy sectors looking to base significant offices in regional locations.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro is behind a project to bring far more jobs to the bush, Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Each project would bring up to 365 jobs to an individual region.

More than 230 manufacturing jobs are also in the sights of the Department of Regional NSW. It comes after the Telegraph revealed some NSW public service jobs will be advertised with employment in “any location,” with others listed as “regional location preferred”.

Mr Barilaro now wants the private sector to follow suit.

He declared that any business that does not “capitalise” on COVID-driven remote-working opportunities “is doing their employees and clients a disservice”.

“The economic landscape of NSW has completely changed, which presents an opportunity for big companies to open up their recruitment pool to the entire state,” he said.

Telstra has already moved to a “location-agnostic” approach for office and call-centre based roles amid the COVID-19 pandemic.