Butchers, Bakers and Senior Decision-Makers:
New Report Highlights Jobs With Regional Income Premiums

4 March 2025

New analysis by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) has found you can earn a higher net income across more than 80 occupations by being based in regional, rural and remote Australia, rather than a major city.

Beyond City Limits: Unveiling Income Premiums in Regional Australia analyses the nature and extent of income differences between major city and regional occupations, utilising integrated Census and Australian Taxation Office (ATO) data, covering 80% of the nation’s workforce, and after deducting housing costs.

In Remote and Very Remote areas the report found an income premium for six out of eight major occupation groups: Professionals, Technicians and Trades Workers, Community and Personal Service Workers, Clerical and Administrative Workers, Machinery Operators and Drivers, and Labourers.

In Inner Regional and Outer Regional areas it found an income premium for four out of eight major occupation groups: Technicians and Trades Workers, Community and Personal Service Workers, Machinery Operators and Drivers, and Labourers.¹

RAI CEO Liz Ritchie said this new analysis shines a light on opportunities, not just for the regions, but the entire national workforce.

“This report busts the long-held myth that you have to live in a major city to earn a high income. The truth is, there are high regional incomes available in many occupations for those who look beyond metropolitan boundaries – which means more money in the pockets of hardworking Australians,” Ms Ritchie said.

“There are labour shortages across the regions. More than 67,000 job vacancies in regional Australia were advertised online in January– a level 62.7% higher than the five-year pre-COVID average.”

“We need more people to know about the career opportunities in regional Australia. There are plenty of good jobs, where you can earn a very good income. Combine that with the regions’ liveability factors, like less traffic, more affordable housing and access to nature and you can understand why so many people have already made the move.”

The report found, after controlling factors that impact income such as age, gender, education, industry and occupation, compared to Major Cities overall net income is:

• 13.6% higher in Very Remote Australia
• 12.8% higher in Remote Australia
• Comparable with Outer Regional Australia
• 2.4% lower in Inner Regional Australia 

In addition to the report, the RAI is also today unveiling a new interactive online tool, providing users with real-time, location-specific insights into regional labour markets.

The Regional Jobs Guide provides insights into five key areas: the number of jobs advertised online, vacancies as proportion of total jobs, the innovative Regional Indicator of Stable Employment, the labour force participation rate and the unemployment rate. 

Ms Ritchie said the tool bridges information gaps between metropolitan and regional labour markets, offering granular insights and advanced filtering options and will be updated monthly to ensure users have access to the latest job market trends.

“The Regional Indicator of Stable Employment metric is unique to the Regional Jobs Guide, offering a picture of labour market efficiency and employment stability across regional Australia, by assessing the balance between job seekers and job vacancies in an area. This index will enable targeted responses to regional employment challenges,” Ms Ritchie said.

“Region-specific data is vitally important to job seekers considering a move to the regions. The more data we can collect and collate on individual areas, the better we can inform decision-makers developing and driving regional employment policy and programs.”

The Beyond City Limits: Unveiling Income Premiums in Regional Australia report and the Regional Jobs Guide were funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

1) The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)’ eight major occupation groups are: Managers, Professionals, Technicians and Trades Workers, Community and Personal Service Workers, Clerical and Administrative Workers, Sales Workers, Machinery Operators and Drivers, and Labourers. All individual occupations in Australia belong to one of these eight groups.

For media enquiries contact:

Regional Australia Institute 
Ph: 0498 373 300
E: [email protected]