THE healthcare sector has the highest number of job vacancies in the Wimmera and western Victoria with more than 100 positions currently vacant.
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There are 45 medical practitioner and nurse positions vacant; 36 health diagnostics and therapy professionals jobs vacant; 26 carer and aide positions vacant; and seven health and welfare support worker jobs vacant.
It comes after Regional Australian Institute recently released new data for its regional jobs vacancy map.
The data revealed that there are more than 550 advertised jobs currently vacant in the region.
The institute predicted there would be 1600 jobs in the healthcare and social assistance sectors across the Wimmera and north western Victoria by 2023.
This area encompasses major towns such as Horsham, Stawell, Ararat, Mildura and Swan Hill.
Wimmera Development Association acting executive director Mark Fletcher said attracting and retaining health workers was a major issue across the region.
"There are a number of groups that are trying to work on this and who are looking at ways to attract people to the region," he said.
"A lot of it comes back to regional promotion and connectivity. You need to make sure that when people move here for work that they have access to support networks so they can build connections and stay in the community.
"There's also issues with housing availability, transport options and connectivity."
He said there were a number of factors that put pressure on the health sector.
"With the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme there has been a lot of movement within the industry," he said.
"The ageing population of the Wimmera definitely comes into play too."
The Regional Australian Institute's data also revealed that there are 34 automotive and trade engineering job vacancies in the region, and 33 clerical, call-centre and receptionist positions vacant.
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