29/03/2026
Stop trying to fix workforce shortages. Start fixing the system.
This was our message at SEGRA: Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia Summit last week in Lithgow.
Workforce shortages are not a supply issue - they are a symptom of disconnected systems. A signal that housing, employment, services and community are not aligned to support people to live and stay in a place.
On the Mid Coast, this has led to a different response:
- From workforce shortages → workforce ecosystems
- From recruitment → retention, belonging and participation
- From isolated action → coordinated, place-based effort
This means working at the level of people’s lives, not just jobs, and recognising that it takes a community, not an organisation, to hold a workforce.
A whole-of-person approach, enabled by a whole-of-community response.
Over three years, this has supported:
➡️ 300 professionals relocating
➡️ 650+ people, including families, settling in the Mid Coast
Kate Dunn and Bree Katsamangos are very grateful to have had the opportunity to share our learnings and experience, and to learn from the dynamic work of others across the regional economic development space.
We would like to acknowledge the work of Cath Cosgrave (PhD) in helping to shape our community response.