It’s been the season for grand openings in Shepparton in recent weeks as enterprises have rushed to unveil new developments in time for the Christmas rush.
They’ve been highlighted by the $40 million Spotlight Group Holdings development on Benalla Rd but a little further along that particular thoroughfare towards the CBD another official opening occurred.
BP Central at 35 Benalla Rd had its grand opening on Tuesday, December 5 and at the same site, Subway opened another franchise, this one with a drive-through component, in late October.
The BP boasts a Wild Bean Cafe, Dodees Donuts and a canopy with clearance for trucks.
Continuing towards the CBD, little more than a block away on the corner of Archer St, another fuel station is set to open before Christmas, this one built by 7-Eleven.
That one and its Numurkah Rd store, opened in 2021, are part of an estimated $10 million investment by 7-Eleven in Victoria’s north and north-east over the next five years.
National housing summit
The housing crisis in regional Australia is a cause of heartache for those who can’t find a home, but it’s also a headache for employers who struggle to maintain staff due to them being unable to find accommodation.
The pressing issue is set to be focus of attention when the Regional Australia Institute and the Real Estate Institute of Australia host the National Regional Housing Summit in Canberra on February 9 next year.
Local governments and communities, industry and peak body representatives, as well as the not-for-profit sector, will be in attendance to discuss regional housing needs and to identify solutions.
Regional Victorian job vacancy figures out
While on the subject of job vacancies and the Regional Australia Institute, the latest figures show in regional Victoria there was a 2.5 per cent fall in job vacancies advertised in October.
National regional figures have continued to climb, though, reaching 92,500 advertised jobs for the same month.
Apart from the seasonal summer drop at the beginning of 2023, regional vacancies have hovered around 90,000 or more each month for over a year.
The RAI said the occupations in most demand were for professional roles (29 per cent of all vacancies in October), followed by technicians and trades roles (15 per cent), and community and personal service roles (13 per cent).
The RAI has also released a new report — Against the Odds: Realising Regional Australia’s Workforce Potential — which examines the challenges of the regional labour market and the strategies being used to address them.
The research highlights six demographics where workers commonly experience difficulty connecting with work:
- People aged 15 to 24
- People aged 55 and over
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Migrants
- People with a disability
- People with dependent children
The research found an estimated 50,000 people living regionally within the six demographics were unemployed but looking for work at the time of the census in 2021.
The report said a human-centred approach was necessary to overcome barriers to employment and create workforce connections. It’s often said that tapping into those demographics can help ease the worker shortage in regional areas.
The RAI report can be found at Smart Library Viewer (regionalaustralia.org.au).