• Considerations relevant to the talent marketing strategy
Introduction
Why are we here?
The Central Highlands is facing a significant labour and skills shortage. Data from the Central Highlands Business Survey 2023 shows that staffing is a critical issue for local businesses and a major constraint to growth. This is supported by data from the Jobs Hub Central Queensland Highlands website which has seen a significant increase (28%) in job postings over the past 12 months.
The Central Highlands Invest Concept Study Report, recently commissioned by the CHRR*, identified recruitment as a key priority and recommended that CHRR members undertake a consolidated recruitment advertising campaign.
The campaign needs to target both skilled and unskilled labour across major industries, including mining and agriculture, as well as support industries like healthcare and hospitality.
The following jobs need to be filled to secure the long-term economic prosperity of the Central Highlands now and into the future:
• Skilled labour and specialist trades all related to ongoing servicing and development of the mining industry.
• Skilled and general labour and specialist trades required for the sustainment of the community including essential workers (Doctors, Nurses, Police etc.), educators and childcare providers, retail workers and hospitality staff.
Critical to the success of the campaign will be participation from employers across all sectors in the region.
The current situation
The Region – Overview
About the Central Highlands Region
The Central Highlands is a robust and diverse region situated at the heart of Australia’s resource and agricultural sectors.
Spanning almost 60,000 km2, our region is a three-hour drive west of Rockhampton and a 1.5-hour flight from Brisbane, and includes the communities of Arcadia Valley, Bauhinia, Blackwater, Bluff, Capella, Comet, Dingo, Duaringa, Emerald, Rolleston, Sapphire Gemfields, Springsure and Tieri.
The region is home to an enviable global coal mining industry with a significant portion of Australia’s largest coal reserve, the Bowen Basin, located in the Central Highlands. Agricultural and horticultural industries, including beef, grains, macadamias, cotton, grapes, melons and citrus. A growing tourism market supported by pristine natural attractions, such as Carnarvon Gorge and the Sapphire Gemfields. Major health and education services including a GP Super Clinic, a CQUniversity campus and a range of dynamic small and medium businesses.
The Region – Workforce
Locals' vs Commuters.
The Central Highlands region is a three-hour drive west of Rockhampton and a 1.5-hour flight from Brisbane.
19,123 people work in the Central Highlands. 68% are between the age of 25 and 54.
77% live in the Central Highlands. 96% speak English at home.
35% of all workers are employed in the Mining sector, followed by 10% in Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing, 8% in Construction and 6.5% in Retail.
48% of Mine workers and 33% of Construction workers do not live in the Central Highlands.
80% of workers who live outside the Central Highlands commute from regional Queensland, 20% from cities.
Those living elsewhere and working in Central Highlands are most likely to have a certificate level qualification
Having a high proportion of the workers not living in region creates both a challenge and an opportunity.
The Region – The Brands
Brands
Central Highlands has several logos that make up the regions brand; Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC), Central Queensland Highlands (CQH) and Jobs Hub Central Queensland Highlands (Jobs Hub CQH).
All 3 logos need to have a clearly defined role in promoting the Central Highlands as a desirable place to have a fulfilling career.
For business owners and those already working and living in the region the CHDC brand represents the economic voice of the region.
CQH promotes the region as a great place to visit and stay for a working holiday.
Jobs Hub CQH advertises jobs in the region and publishes articles on matters relating to jobs and careers.
Without clearly defined roles for each brand and a clear candidate journey, it is difficult for candidates to find opportunities and conduct more in-depth research when considering living and working in the region.
The Region – Corporate Strategy
CHDC Corporate Strategy 2023 - 2028
The Central Highlands Development Corporation has a corporate strategy in place that articulates the vision, purpose, values and behaviours of the organisation, alongside 7 priorities and objectives for the region.
Vision
Driving economic opportunities to support the Central Highlands as a dynamic inland region of choice.
Purpose
We advocate for a sustainable region and economic growth by enhancing our workforce, promoting our region and supporting our businesses.
Values and Behaviours
Collaboration
Credibility
Innovation
Accountability
Respect
The Region – Corporate Strategy
Priority 02 – Workforce Development
Priority 2, Workforce Development relates directly to this project and includes 2 key objectives.
1. Partner to attract, retain and develop a future focused, skilled workforce across the region.
2. Seek opportunities to embed best practice local content into regional projects.
The Region – Strategy
Workforce Development and Accommodation Strategy
The Central Highlands has a newly launched Workforce Development and Accommodation Strategy.
The strategy outlines 16 identified priorities:
1. Establish a Workforce and Accommodation Collective (WAC)
2. Work with Property portfolio holders to review housing stock and release surplus supply
3. Future Skills Facilitator to coordinate education systems, government and industry sectors
4. Expression of Interest to support the build 12 new builds in 12 months
5. Expand the Childcare Leadership Alliance into Central Highlands region
6. Capital Investment directed to areas of highest need
7. Review and consolidate current incentives and suggest new incentives
8. Work with airlines to reduce the cost of airfares, expanding regional
9. Talent Attraction Campaign to be considerate of the findings in this strategy
10.Discuss benefits of joining Small Business Friendly Program
13. Develop real time occupancy of mining accommodation across the region
14. Coordinate Fit-for-Purpose accommodation across the region
15.Ensure representation in the Move to More campaign
16. Coordinate and promote access to funding for community groups in region
Note: priorities 1, 3, 5, 9, 10 and 15 all have direct impact on the success of the success of the Talent Marketing Strategy.
The Region – Owned Channels
Websites
The Central Highlands Development Corporation website provides information relating to the economic and tourism development of the region with some references to career opportunities.
Observations are:
• There is a link directly to Jobs Hub in the main navigation of the CHDC website
• A feature tile labelled Talent Attraction Campaign takes users to a page that invites them to participate in a survey to help boost the regions workforce.
• An Upcoming events module is featured on the homepage with links to explore further.
• Tiles to read more about the key 4 industries, Agribusiness, Resources, Business and the Visitor Economy link through to sub pages. These content pages offer detailed information about government programs and resources, networking, learning and development courses, community support, leadership networks, research, visitor guides and an events calendar.
• There is no careers section for those looking to join CHDC.
• An opportunity exists for CHDC to pull jobs through from Jobs Hub to the CHDC industry pages.
The Region – Owned Channels
Websites
The Central Queensland Highlands website is the consumer facing brand of the region whose primary audience are visitors. It is a sub brand of the Central Highlands Development Corporation. Observations are:
• The hero message on the website is ‘Explore More’, this message is used throughout the site with CTA tiles like Carnarvon Gorge – Explore More.
• The homepage is dominated by CTA tiles designed to lead the user to further explore their area of interest, whether that be a location, events, visitor guide, interactive map or video content. Social links to Facebook and Instagram are also included on the page.
• Content sub pages are text heavy and are not interactive. Layouts do not comply with best practice UX. There are plans in place to update to the latest version of WordPress.
• There is a link to the Jobs Hub website, but it is hard to find, located on the Working Holidays page it leads the user to believe it only includes holiday type job opportunities. Clicking on the link takes users off the CQH website.
• Clicking on the ‘What's On’ top navigation item takes users off site to the What’s On website, a separate site featuring local events.
• A better user experience would be to use pop up windows or to integrate the jobs hub and what’s on content into the CQH website.
The Region – Owned Channels
The region has two category specific websites, Jobs Hub CQH for careers and CQH What’s On for local events.
Jobs Hub CQH is a uWorkin community style careers website that has limited functionality for hosting creative content such as video. Any content changes are also subject to fees from the licensee uWworkin. There are good career related articles on the site however at the time of this report there were 42 jobs on the site all aggregated by uWorkin, compared with 358 on SEEK.
CQH What’s On is a local events website designed primarily for those visiting the region. There are many resources about how to enjoy your holiday e.g. visitors guide. The events by category section is useful and would be better placed further up the page. The Instagram story feed is good but again very visitor focused.
The Region – Owned Channels
Social Media
LinkedIn observations:
• The CHDC page has 2,000 followers.
• Posting is regular and gives followers an insight into what’s happening at CHDC, in business and in the region.
• There is a post asking for workers to participate in a video for the upcoming talent campaign. However, nothing that speaks to prospective candidates.
• Content is mostly image based; videos are used infrequently.
• Most of the posts have some engagement in terms of reactions, but there are very few comments.
Facebook observations:
• The Central Queensland Highlands page has 5,300 followers.
• Regular posts, averaging 1 per week.
• Video is used infrequently despite video posts receiving over 500 views and posts under 50 reactions.
• There is no career content on this channel
Instagram observations:
• The Central Queensland Highlands page has 2,141 followers.
• Like Facebook there have been regular posts every week.
• There is no career content on this channel
The Region – Owned Channels
YouTube
YouTube observations:
• The Central Highlands QLD channel has 129 subscribers. There are over 111 videos.
• Video content varies from media appearances to local business and event updates, awards and tourism videos.
• Videos are separated into sections or playlists making it easy to explore a particular type of content.
• The content is generally good quality and interesting. Newer videos are typically under 10 minutes with most under 5 minutes.
• Production quality is generally good.
• The only candidate videos are the ‘Working Holiday’ series which are in the 2021 Playlist so challenging to find.
The Region – Candidate Experience
Job Ads and Candidate Experience
The uWorkin supplied jobs are coming from several sources including aggregator Atlam Group, recruiters like Gorilla Jobs and labour hire companies like Spectra Group. This creates a less-than-ideal candidate journey for users.
In the example provided Atlam Group take the candidate back to the original advertiser site, Workforce Australia. When the candidate clicks ‘apply now’, they are then taken to Atlam Groups website which features ads from the likes of Indeed and other businesses asking applicants to apply now. These are not job ads and take the user to their respective websites not the actual job they originally clicked on!
If the user does find the correct apply button, they are taken to the employer's website to read the same job ad, (again). Finally in the right place they are asked to create a profile to apply for the role or register for the employer's talent community.
The job ads themselves are not consistent in format it all depends where they are sourced. Some are well laid out, with subheadings clearly identifying details about the role, responsibilities, qualifications, and why a candidate should apply.
There is no real guidance in terms of what the application process is.
No supporting material such as videos or links to more content is included in the job ads.
The Employees – Survey Insights
Survey
A survey of employees in the region provided 406 total responses. Below is a snapshot of the respondents.
70% of respondents are aged between 25 and 54 years, 23% over 55 years.
90% of respondents currently live in the Central Highlands.
35% of respondents have lived in the Central Highlands for more than 15 years, 29% for less than 3 years.
66% of respondents work in Emerald, 23% in Blackwater.
Roles
The Employees – Survey Insights
Survey
A survey of employees gave some useful insights about what's important to employees in the Central Highlands and how well employers in the region deliver on these. There were 382 responses to this question.
Survey
Looking across different sectors we see that for those working in mining recognition and benefits are most important and employees feel their employer delivers to these needs. However, for Government employees said flexibility and development opportunities are most important with employers under delivering on these needs
Survey
For employees working in Education development opportunities and a collaborative team are key, with employees not fully delivering to these needs.
With those working in Healthcare learning opportunities and flexibility are most important, with employers delivering on flexibility but not opportunities.
Survey Insights
As part of the survey employees were asked what they found unique about working in the Central Highlands.
‘People are much more friendly, and you have to learn to think laterally due to shortages in lot of professions that you have to try to fill. Lots of opportunities for advancement due to the above reasons.’
‘Its a quiet place to raise kids and be outdoorsy, would like to see more community events and outdoor areas for them to enjoy like parks and rides.’
‘Worked in the highlands for over 30 years, people willing to teach you in the work force outside the mines.’
‘The CH is quiet. Leaving here has helped me appreciate being content with what I have and be a better planner. Because I have the option of company housing, I can invest in property elsewhere and better set myself up for retirement.’
‘Access to incredible natural areas like Carnarvon Gorge and the Blackdown Tablelands.
‘It has opened my eyes to the diverse range of employment opportunities in the area.’
‘Ability to work at a coal mine and be home every night in a good community with reasonable services. Alot of other coal mines require persons to stay in camps or live in small communities with limited services..’
There were 252 responses to this question.
‘The connections you build living and working in a small community, diversity of people and experience and the opportunity to be a part of a regional development strategy.’
‘Opportunities for people in the early stages of their careers to take on roles and responsibilities that people in larger centres would not be able to access.’
‘Small community offers opportunities to get to know families personally. It is unique not being able to go to the shops or get a service performed without knowing the person.’
‘There are multiple opportunities from the broad range of industries in the region. Pride in community & the willingness to participate in events.
‘Please are willing to have a crack at new things because they have to.... innovative thinking is in the water out here!’
‘The opportunity to work 10 minutes away from my home. Easy to save for your future. contribute to the community.’
‘I think this region does a really good job of having a large impact, disproportionate to the population.’
‘The general work environment here seems more supportive and is made up of small towns; it's generally a friendlier vibe. I enjoy the proximity to locations and varied work unique to the region.’
‘Close knit community , and willingness to share resources and learnings. A higher level of an ability to engage a wide range of collaborators.’
Survey
Top drivers to work in the Central Highlands are learning opportunities, role recognition, perks and benefits. 23% of respondents believe being able to work well as a team and communication is what makes a successful candidate.
The Employees – Focus Group
The focus groups proved to be a great source of insights and the information gathered during the sessions will be very useful in the development of your talent marketing.
During each session, we discussed different areas of the employment experience and talked about the best attributes of employers in the region as well as the types of qualities they look for in the perfect job.
We then discussed what initially attracted people to work in the Central Highlands and what types of people they felt would be successful here. The session ended with a conversation around recruitment, thoughts about how you could advertise more efficiently, and which channels might attract better quality candidates.
NeonLogic categorised the relevant highlights into Gartner’s five Key Attribute Categories. NB given this project is for a region Organisation has been replaced with location.
Focus Groups – Strengths
WORK - “working within a close community”.
OPPORTUNITY - “growth opportunities, less competitive work environment so more opportunities to gain experience and exposure”.
LOCATION - “more time back in my day as I'm not driving long commutes and stuck in traffic”.
PEOPLE - “the team I work with and the feeling of community”.
REWARD – “slower paced relaxed lifestyle, less of a rush”.
Focus Groups – Challenges
REWARD – “there is a big difference between employers. Some like mining offer subsidised housing, relocation costs and flexibility others like childcare do not”.
OPPORTUNITY - “Disheartening to know you are being used a steppingstone for the start of someone’s career.”
WORK - “Medical Graduates get their experience in the region – it’s cheaper to live here - but they stay for a couple of years and then leave.”
PEOPLE - “Life stage – younger demographic don’t want to be here. People in their 30s with kids suits them better.”
LOCATION - “Pharmacy/Health/Hospital pain point – kids moving away to get their degrees, but not coming back to work in the region”.
Central Highlands
Focus Groups – Unique
During each of the focus groups we asked employees to describe, in their own words, what they believed were the most unique aspects of working in the Central Highlands region. The common themes are outlined below and through your employees’ comments.
EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES . Education; “Grow your own”; More opportunities for education and work. Mining industry booming. Better connection to our jobs and education. Maths and science strong fields at school. Arts/drama not so strong (kids move away).
WORK LIFE BALANCE. – what does this actually mean? It depends on the individual. Being regional gives you that opportunity to do more of what you love.
AFFORDABILITY. cost of living is less; income is high. It’s the whole package.
PERCEPTION VS REALITY. there are many good schools that people don’t realise
Focus Groups – Career Pathways
We asked employees to share their career pathway to working in the region. Below is a representative selection of their different experiences across a variety of industries. statements:
Hospitality whilst at school 2017 (Brisbane)
Years in Region: 2 years
Sector: Health & Social Assistance
Years in Region: 3 years
Sector: Government
Bachelor of Psychology
Diploma of Psychological Science
Bachelor of Urban Development 2014 (Brisbane)
Worked as a Town Planner Student & Graduate 2012
Event Management Degree
Years in Region: 4 years
Sector: Childcare
Partner offered a 4 year contract 2022 (Emerald)
Disability Support Worker 2020 (Brisbane)
Senior Town Planner 2020 (Brisbane)
Senior Town Planner 2018 (Sunshine Coast)
Local Government 2016 (Quilpie)
Moved to Australia to travel settled 2015 (Quilpie)
Bachelor of Early Years 2018 (Quilpie)
PR Small Business 2017 (Quilpie)
Support Worker 2022 (Emerald)
Principal Planner 2021 (Emerald)
Husband offered a role as a teacher 2021 (Emerald)
Childcare Educator 2020 (Emerald)
Centre Manager 2019 (Quilpie)
Childcare Director 2021 (Emerald)
Support Coordinator 2023 (Emerald)
Coordinator Development & Planning 2021 (Emerald)
Centre Director 2023 (Emerald)
Focus Groups – Career Pathways
We asked employees to share their career pathway to working in the region. Below is a representative selection of their different experiences across a variety of industries. statements:
Cert IV Youth Work School based trainee 2007 (Emerald)
Years in Region: 31 years
Sector: Mining
Years in Region: <1 year
Sector: Agriculture
Various Admin Roles
Reception & Recruitment Admin
Health & Safety Coordinator 2013 (Bangladesh)
Bachelor Business Admin 2012 (Bangladesh)
Teaching Degree (Townsville)
Years in Region: 20 years
Sector: Education
Recruitment Coordinator 2017 (Emerald)
Cert IV Business Administration 2017 (Emerald)
Diploma Business Management 2015 (NZ)
Head of Operations 2014 (Bangladesh)
Retail Manager 2016 (NZ)
Field Supervisor 2015 (NZ)
Master Education (Alice Springs)
Recruitment Advisor 2020 (Emerald)
Business Centre Manager 2019 (Emerald)
Talent Acquisition Business Partner 2023 Current (Emerald)
Teacher (Cardwell/Bowen)
Education Officer (Alice Springs)
Orchard Manager 2019 (NZ)
Horticulture Contractor 2017 (NZ)
Special Education Officer (NT Region)
Harvest Manager 2024 Current (Emerald)
Diploma Fruit Production, Agriculture 2022 (NZ)
Masters Business Admin & Management Current (NZ)
Early Intervention & Learning Support Teacher (Dysart)
Community Services/Early Intervention Director (Mudgee/Gulgong)
Advisory Teacher & Guidance Officer (Emerald)
Focus Groups – Sales Pitch
Sales Pitch
These quotes are a selection of the ‘sales pitch’ we asked the focus group participants to write. When asked ‘if you were to sell a career in the Central Highlands to a prospective employee, what would you say?’. Employees chose to highlight the following:
Come for a change of pace or scenery and stay for the great community, job opportunities and laid-back lifestyle. There are so many opportunities to expand your career in an environment that is supportive and less intimidating than a corporate city job. The pay and perks are great, and you can use your holidays to explore some great parts of Queensland like Carnarvon Gorge, Gemfields, Longreach, Yeppoon Far North Queensland. Give it a go – it will grow on you!
More time back in your day. More available time for yourself. Great community. Weekly community activities. Access to a range of different career paths. Flexible work arrangements. Opportunities to volunteer and participate in community events.
Career progression opportunities. Opportunities for teens with career movement and less competition than the city. Team/family feeling in workplaces. Work life balance. Flexibility. Beautiful region. Community experience. Great facilities including many for sport.
Fresh air and open spaces. Relaxed lifestyle. More opportunities due to less competition. Family orientated culture, to a degree.
Fast tracked career growth, slower pace country lifestyle. Much better commute and no traffic! Work life balance, likeminded people and professionals in a similar situation. Work culture and friendlier community vibes. Travel opportunities to explore Queensland, Emerald is the central hub to neighbouring towns and the coast is not too far away. The weather is great!
Access to great outdoor and camping activities including Maraboon Dam. Lots of social activities including races, rodeos, balls every other weekend. Access to theatre groups, art classes, dance, and gymnastics as well as sport. Low crime rate, great schools, kindy’s and daycares. So many job opportunities. Cheap housing to buy (not rent).
Safe community. Low crime rate.
Great climate. Good quality schools.
Work life balance. Close knit group. Above award wages. Salary sacrifice. Personal/professional development. Good location and staff support. Central to a lot of amazing sites like Carnarvon, Tablelands, camping and fishing.
Slower paced lifestyle, quiet environment and peaceful. Amazing sunrises, sunsets and you can see the starts at night! Opportunities for camping, adventure and outdoor lovers. Amazing opportunity for personal growth. Improvements in mental health du to relocating from Brisbane where it was fast paced, always go, go, go to now a 5-minute drive to work. Opportunity to meet new people.
Accelerate your career with development and progression opportunities. Amazing community and work life balance. Affordable living, 3 hours drive from the coast and 90 minutes by plane to Brisbane. Fast track career. Community feel. More time with family. Housing affordability. Better work life balance.
Central Highlands
Market References – Competitors
Mackay – Isaac - Whitsunday Region
The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regions have a strong and diverse economy, including an incredible rate of growth over the last two decades. The region offers a wide range of employment, educational, sporting and cultural opportunities.
The Isaac region borders the Central Highlands region located to its north, the greater region has a population of almost 190,000 and supports 97,500 jobs. Key industries include mining (19%), health & social assistance (11%), construction (9%), accommodation & food services (8%), retail (8%), education & training (6.5%), transport(6%) and agriculture, forestry & fisheries (5%).
The RDA Greater Whitsundays work closely with local business, industry representatives and all levels of government to prepare for a sustainable and positive future for our region. They have both a LinkedIn and Facebook page.
There are 2 jobs websites representing the region, Mackay Region Jobs and Whitsunday Jobs. Neither brand has dedicated social media channels.
Channels
• RDA Greater Whitsundays Facebook page has 740 followers. Posts are regular and are usually business focused. Engagement is very low. There is no candidate or employee focused content and only 3 videos in the last 5 years.
• With 605 followers on LinkedIn the content mirrors what is on Facebook. Engagement is better than Facebook but still low. Its surprising that there are no jobs in the feed from either of their job platforms.
Market References – Competitors
Data – Mackay – Isaac - Whitsunday Region
RDA Greater Whitsundays provides some valuable data and insights for the region.
There are 97,000 plus people working in the greater Whitsunday region, 56% in Mackay, 26% in Isaacs and 18% in Whitsunday. 65% are between the age of 25 and 54, 83% live in the region.
The region attracted 128,952 new residents from other parts of Australia in the last 5 years, 67% from other parts of Queensland.
26% of workers earn more than $100,000 per year. Compared with 30% in Central Highlands and 18% in Queensland.
The top industries are mining, healthcare & social assistance, and construction.
51% of workers work more than 38 hours per week. Mining and manufacturing sectors work the longest hours.
62% have a tertiary qualification.
39% of Mine workers and 26% of Construction workers do not live in the Greater Whitsundays. 87% of workers who live outside the Great Whitsundays commute from regional Queensland, 11% from capital cities.
47% of workers are considered blue collar, with the largest occupation being technicians & trade workers accounting for 20%.
Source: RDA Greater Whitsundays Remplan.
Market References – Competitors
Job Ads and Candidate Experience – Mackay – Isaac - Whitsunday Region
The Whitsunday Jobs Hub allows job seekers to apply for a role or join the talent community. Jobs are aggregated to the website by uWorkin and are mostly coming from employers. This is the preferred candidate journey for users. At the time of this report there were 176 jobs on this website.
Like the Whitsunday Jobs Hub the Mackay Region Jobs Hub allows job seekers to apply for a role or join the talent community. Jobs are aggregated to the website by uWorkin and are mostly coming from employers. This is the preferred candidate journey for users. At the time of this report there were 1345 jobs on this website.
Market References – Competitors
Rockhampton Region
The Rockhampton region area is located in Central Queensland, on the Tropic of Capricorn, about 600 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD. More Rockhampton residents worked in health care and social assistance than any other industry.
The Rockhampton region borders the Central Highlands region located to its northeast, both regions are part of the larger Fitzroy region. The Rockhampton region has a population of just over 85,500 and supports over 44,000 jobs. Key industries include health & social assistance (21%), retail (11%), education & training (10%), construction (7.5%), public administration & safety (7%), accommodation & food services (6.5%), and manufacturing (5%).
The RDA Central and Western Queensland facilitate economic opportunities to achieve sustainable regional growth by collaborating with all levels of government, businesses, community groups and a wide range of regional stakeholders. They have both a LinkedIn and Facebook page. However, there is no link to LinkedIn on their website and the Instagram link is directing users to the RDA Central West NSW Instagram page.
There are no jobs websites representing the Rockhampton region. The Outback Queensland Jobs website has some regions from the RDA Central and Western Queensland respresented but not Rockhampton.
Channels
• RDA Central and Western Queensland Facebook page has 1,100 followers. Posts are regular and are usually focused on funding and government initiatives that impact the region. Engagement is very low with most posts not receiving any audience interaction. 14 videos have been posted on the page with up to a year between posts. There is no candidate or employee focused content and only 3 videos in the last 5 years.
• LinkedIn has 703 followers. Posts are regular and mirror Facebook content. Recent video posts have received good engagement.
Market References – Competitors
Data – Rockhampton Region
Rockhampton Regional Council provides some valuable data and insights for the region.
There are 37,000 plus people working in the Rockhampton region, 62% are between the age of 25 and 54.
The region attracted 10,266 new residents from other parts of Australia in the last 5 years, 84% from other parts of Queensland.
10% of workers earn more than $100,000 per year. Compared with 30% in Central Highlands and 18% in Queensland.
The top industries are healthcare & social assistance, education and training and retail. Those in healthcare & social assistance in Rockhampton make up 20.8% of the population as compared with 16.2% for Queensland
Of the 20% of workers who live outside the Rockhampton region 80% live in Livingston directly north. The remaining 20% all commute from regional Queensland.
37% of workers work more than 40 hours per week. The construction sector work the longest hours with 60% of workers logging more than 40 hours a week.
Source: Rockhampton Regional Council idcommunity.
60% have a tertiary qualification. 37% of workers are considered blue collar, with the largest occupation being professionals accounting for 17%.
20% of workers do not live in the Rockhampton region. All workers who commute from outside the region live in Queensland. Less that 1% live in the Central Highlands.
Market References – Competitors
Wide Bay Burnett Region
The Wide Bay Burnett region has a vibrant tourism industry and growing retail and services sectors, the region’s economy continues to diversify and build on its traditional strengths of agriculture and manufacturing. .
The Wide Bay Burnett region is located to the south of the Central Highlands the region has a population of 324,000 and supports over 125,000 jobs. Key industries include health & social assistance (20%), retail (11%), education & training (9.5%), construction (8.5%), accommodation & food services (8%), agriculture, forestry & fisheries (7.7%) and manufacturing (7%).
The RDA Wide Bay Burnett’s purpose is to support economic growth, workforce development and investment in the region and inform government about local challenges, opportunities and solutions. They have a LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages. There is a page on the RDA’s website dedicated to Jobs which includes links to the Fraser Coast Jobs Hub, Jobs Bundaberg and Jobs Fraser Coast.
The Fraser Coast Jobs Hub is backed by the Fraser Coast Regional Council with the aim to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all within the Fraser Coast community. It has no dedicated social media channels. Jobs Fraser Coast and Jobs Bundaberg both have social channels are were developed as part of the Queensland Government’s ‘Good People, Good Jobs Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022 – 2032’.
Market References – Competitors
Wide Bay Burnett Region
RDA Wide Bay Burnett
• RDA Wide Bay Burnett 2,400 followers on Facebook, posts are regular and are usually business focused. Engagement is low. There is some careers focused content. The 27 videos have better engagement, there are 5 videos specifically talking about Fraser Coast careers called ‘Industry Careers Showcase’.
• With 1,078 followers on LinkedIn the content mirrors what is on Facebook. Engagement is better than Facebook but still low. Its surprising that there are no jobs in the feed from either of their job platforms.
• The RDA Instagram page has 609 followers, content mirrors that on Facebook, videos have much higher engagement on this channel.
Jobs Fraser Coast & Jobs Bundaberg
• Jobs Fraser Coast has 1,900 and Jobs Bundaberg has 1,100 followers on Facebook, posts are regular and focus on careers, jobs and training. Employee stories and snapshots as well as content from RDA Wide Bay Burnett and Council channels is shared. Engagement is low. The 39 Fraser Coast videos have better engagement, there is a series of videos promoting the Industry Careers Showcase 2024, showing best practice video use.
• With 554 followers for Fraser Coast and 409 for Bundaberg on LinkedIn content is 95% careers focused. Engagement is better than Facebook but still low. These two LGA’s are going head-to-head in the war for local talent!
Market References – Competitors
Data – Wide Bay Burnett Region
RDA Wide Bay Burnett provides some valuable data and insights for the region.
The region attracted 21,446 new residents from other parts of Australia in the last 5 years. There are 113,000 plus people working in the Wide Bay Burnett region, 50% are males, 58% are between the age of 25 and 54.
Less than 10% of workers earn more than $100,000 per year. Compared with 30% in Central Highlands and 18% in Queensland.
The top industries are healthcare & social assistance, retail, education and training.
6.7% of workers who live in the region travel outside the region for work. 20% of these work in mining.
36% of workers work more than 40 hours per week. Mining and agriculture, forestry & fishing sectors work the longest hours.
61% have a tertiary qualification. 34% of workers are considered blue collar, with the largest occupation being professionals accounting for 16%.
Just 4.3% of workers do not live in the Wide Bay Burnett region. All workers who commute from outside the region live in Queensland. Only 16 workers live in the Central Highlands.
Market References – Competitors
Job Ads and Candidate Experience – Wide Bay Burnett Region
The Fraser Coast Jobs Hub allows job seekers to apply for a role or join the talent community. Jobs are aggregated to the website by uWorkin and are mostly coming from employers. This is the preferred candidate journey for users. At the time of this report there were 164 jobs on this website.
Jobs Fraser Coast provides ‘Job Seeker Resources’ through a series of links to other websites Including Fraser Coast Jobs Hub, Fraser Coast Career Pathways, Impact, Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Watch, SEEK (not lonely Fraser Coast jobs), Australian Apprenticeships, Queensland Apprenticeships, My Future and Workforce Australia. There is a section providing a list of local training and education providers. There is one article for Bundaberg in the news section and a placeholder ad from 2023. Job Search redirects candidates to the Fraser Coast Jobs Hub.
Jobs Bundaberg also provides ‘Job Seeker Resources’ through a series of links to other websites Apprenticeship Support, QLD Apprenticeships, SEEK (not only Bundaberg jobs), My Future, Workforce Australia Job Search and Your Career. Plus, a downloadable resource Be Work Smart. There is a section providing a list of local training and education providers. There are only two articles in the news sections. At the time of this report there was only 1 job in the Job Vacancies section. There was no way that an applicant could apply online.
Regional Queensland Candidates
1. EXCELLENT COMPENSATION
COMPANY VALUES
seek excellent compensation and benefits. 3. JOB SECURITY
look for values that match their own.
value job security in their career.
opportunity
opportunity to grow within the company.
5. CAREER GROWTH
4. NEW SKILLS
Market References – Queensland Talent Data
Queensland
80% of the Queensland workforce or 1,937,248 people are LinkedIn members. 64% are aged between 25 and 54 and 54% are male.
The top drivers for this talent are flexible work arrangements, excellent compensation and benefits, job security, support to balance work and personal life and a company with values that match their own.
The top industries where this talent currently work are Construction, Government Hospital & Health Care, Mining and Retail.
9% of this group changed jobs in the last 12 months. Average tenure is 1.7 years. Hiring demand in Queensland is moderate.
Locations where the number of skilled talent is high relative to hiring demand are Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns.
The fastest growing skills amongst this group are Operations, Learning, Events, Customer Experience and Analytical Skills. Source: Central Highlands Regional Council and LinkedIn Talent Insights 10 April 2024.
Market References – Central Highlands Talent Data
Central Highlands
19,123 people work in the Central Highlands. 68% are between the age of 25 and 54. 77% live in the Central Highlands.
30% of workers earn more than $100,000 per year. Compared with 22% in Central Queensland and 18% in Queensland.
35% of all workers are employed in the Mining sector, followed by 10% in Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing, 8% in Construction and 6.5% in Retail.
80% of workers who live outside the Central Highlands commute from regional Queensland, 20% from cities.
Source: Central Highlands Regional Council.
59% have a tertiary qualification. 57% of workers are considered blue collar, with the largest occupation being machinery operators and drivers accounting for 24%.
48% of Mine workers and 33% of Construction workers do not live in the Central Highlands. Those living elsewhere and working in Central Highlands are most likely to have a certificate level qualification.
Climate and Market Insights
Commentary
After years of volatility there’s a sense of growing stability, optimism and adaptation to the new working landscapes. Skills shortages remain in some industries and are predicted to impact the effective operation of businesses, however these impacts have reduced in severity over the past 12 months.
Employers are becoming more optimistic with 64% believing that business activity will increase in the year ahead. This growth relates specifically to productivity with intentions to increase temporary workers is up by 7% YoY, however permanent employees will only see an increase of 3%.
Extreme shortages experienced over the last year have eased with 47% of employers reporting no or only minor skills shortages. One in five reported shortages easing, led by the construction industry who had the highest level of easing. However not all industries have been so lucky with extreme shortages still being experienced in education and architecture.
Despite skills shortages 81% of employers reported either steady or increased productivity over the past year. Some industries such as construction , banking, logistics and procurement reported a significant increase. Whilst policy, strategy, architecture and office support reported decreases in productivity.
The easing of skills shortages has had an impact on salaries. In the coming year 25% less employers are planning on offering salary increases above 3% and there has been a 30% drop in employees reporting salary increases due to skills shortages.
Hybrid work environments are here to stay with 97% of employers reporting that they offer a hybrid working model and 74% saying they expect their offering to stay the same for the next year. When looking at remote vs onsite days worked 70% of employees are happy with the way they are currently working. 64% say that continued remote or hybrid working is the reason they stay with their employer.
More than 77% of employees are currently looking or planning to look for a job in the next year. The top 3 reasons employees are looking for a new role are rising cost of living (64%), lack of promotional opportunities (60%) and poor management or culture (60%). 71% of employees have said that a pay rise is the most important factor in the year ahead, followed by learning and developing technical skills at 63%.
Audience Snapshot
Who are our talent audiences?
The Central Highlands region talent audiences can be segmented by both skills and location. They can be viewed as eight groups: Childcare, Construction, Mining Operations & Maintenance, Health & Aged Care, Government, Retail & Hospitality, Agriculture and Manufacturing.
Childcare and Construction are the primary audiences as they will enable the boosting of capacity for both working parents and provide accommodation for those wanting to re-enter the workforce or move into region.
Childcare talent has skills in early childhood education and development, learning, working with children, first aid, preschool, curriculum development, child development and consumer services.
This group work in childcare, long daycare or early learning centres.
Construction talent have skills in construction safety and management, carpentry, civil engineering, project estimation, procurement, contract management and carpentry.
This group have trade qualifications and can work for a range of employers from building developers to labour hire, council or mining.
Mining operations & Engineering maintenance have skills is engineering, mining, operations, project commissioning, contract management, procurement, health and safety and technical support.
This group primarily work in mining but also have skills to work in other engineering & operational environments like for council.
Health & Aged Care have skills in nursing, healthcare, hospitals, elder care, administrative assistance, public health, healthcare management and patient safety.
This group provide healthcare and aged care skills to hospitals, medical centres, private clinics and aged care facilities.
Manufacturing
Government talent have skills in public policy, program management, staff and stakeholder development, leadership, government administration, data analysis, operations and customer experience.
This group work for either federal, state or local government.
Retail & Hospitality talent have skills in food & beverage operations, sales, merchandising, customer satisfaction, inventory and operations management.
This group work in retail, accommodation and hospitality businesses.
Source: LinkedIn Talent Insights 1 June 2024.
Agriculture talent have skills in agribusiness, farms, operations, business planning, sales management, horticulture, agriculture and consumer services.
This group work as agronomists, agents, regional managers, technicians, farm managers and farm hands.
Manufacturing talent have skills in operations management, manufacturing, engineering, sales management, product development, manufacturing process improvement, business planning, customer satisfaction and analytical skills.
This group typically work for industrial manufacturing companies.
Audience Snapshot
The people we need
• 18,524 talent pool (ANZ)
• 90/10 Female/Male
• 15% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 3 drivers;
– Flexible work arrangements
– Job Security
– Organisational support for WLB
Childcare Government
• 68,419 talent pool (QLD Regional)
• 59/41 Female/Male
• 9% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Flexible work arrangements
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Job security
– Company vales that match my own
– Organisational support for WLB
– Career growth within the company
• 39,287 talent pool (QLD Regional)
• 83/17 Male/Female
• 9% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Organisational support for WLB
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Job security
– Career growth within the company
– Flexible work arrangements
• 265,869 talent pool (ANZ)
• 53/47 Male/Female
• 13% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Job security
– Flexible work arrangements
– Career growth within the company
– Helpful & supportive direct managers
• 239,916 talent pool (QLD & Regional NSW)
• 70/30 Female/Male
• 12% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Flexible work arrangements
– Organisational support for WLB
– Company vales that match my own.
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Job security
Manufacturing
• 70,322 talent pool (QLD Regional)
• 57/43 Female/Male
• 8% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Career growth within the company
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Job security
– Flexible work arrangements
– Organisational support for WLB
• 94,639 talent pool (ANZ)
• 65/35 Male/Female
• 6% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Company vales that match my own
– Flexible work arrangements
– Challenging & impactful work
– Organisational support for WLB
• 232,061 talent pool (QLD & Regional NSW)
• 69/31 Male/Female
• 10% changed jobs in the past year
• Top 5 drivers;
– Excellent compensation and benefits
– Flexible work arrangements
– Clear goals & direction from senior leadership
– Organisational support for WLB
– Helpful & supportive direct managers
Those with Childcare and Construction skills have been identified as priority talent audiences as they will enable other audiences to start a career in the region, whether they are already living in region or looking to move. Different drivers will be leveraged across all audiences depending on where talent is currently located.
Research Commentary
Summary considerations
There are several considerations that should inform the strategy:
• Central Highlands employers are competing across markets for highly sought after talent.
• There is no current proposition to market. Connecting to candidates' needs is critical in engaging relevant talent no matter where they are in their journey or around the country.
• The power of a clear proposition is a key driver for candidates. Leveraging the variety of career opportunities in the region and making information as simple as possible to find will assist in attracting the right talent.
• There are opportunities to promote talent messaging across employer marketing assets, such as social channels and individual employer careers pages. Ensuring candidate needs are being addressed at all stages of the decision-making cycle is key.
• The Jobs Hub website has minimal content, consideration should be given to retiring this site.
• A well thought out candidate journey is lacking. Building that out and articulating things like the application process and what life is like in the Central Highlands are critical to any campaign success.
• Optimising content for mobile and allowing better connection with social media for amplification can increase success.
• There is also an opportunity to build sector talent pipelines and connect employers with those who are not quite ready to make a career change.
• Consideration should be given to ‘growing your own talent’ through a campaign showcasing the industry sectors, pathways and their career potential for entry level candidates and those looking to return to work.
• Benefits need to be articulated in line with varying talent audience drivers. Communication of these benefits needs to be consistent and considered as an aid to retention.
