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If you're running a business outside of Adelaide, you already know:
Finding good people in regional South Australia is tough.
Whether you're based in Whyalla, Mount Gambier, Port Augusta, or Port Lincoln, the challenges are real and they’re costing you time, contracts, and money.
At HJ Recruitment, we help businesses across SA solve one of their biggest problems: hiring skilled workers when no one seems available.
Here’s what’s really going on and what’s actually working right now in regional recruitment.
It’s not just about the labour shortage it’s about location, lifestyle, and fit.
Even when people are willing to move, they’re unsure if they’ll like the area. Add in housing challenges, limited local networks, and lack of recruitment support, and it’s no wonder roles go unfilled for months.
Here’s what we commonly hear from clients in the regions:
If that sounds familiar, you’re not imagining it.
When you’re short on staff in a regional town, the impact isn’t just internal.
This is especially true in high-skill roles like:
We’ve seen businesses lose tenders or miss client deadlines purely because they couldn’t staff up in time.
Here’s what’s delivering results for our South Australian clients:
We combine local candidates (where possible) with workers from Adelaide and interstate who are open to relocating or doing short stints on-site.
People want more than a job they want lifestyle. We help you pitch the town, housing options, community, and stability to make the offer more appealing.
We maintain a database of workers who’ve already done regional or remote work people who know what they’re signing up for and actually prefer it.
No drawn-out processes. You get qualified, trade-tested workers within days ready to start, with paperwork handled and tools in hand.
A food manufacturing plant in Mount Gambier had a line sitting idle for three weeks due to a mechanical fitter vacancy.
We placed a regional-experienced tradesman from Adelaide within four days including relocation support, site induction, and travel organised by our team.
Within a week, production was back online saving the client thousands in downtime.
We regularly place skilled workers across:
And more. If it’s in South Australia, we’ve probably staffed it.
Need to build a crew? Let’s talk.
We specialise in regional trades and technical recruitment not general admin or city-based placements. Our clients use us because we:
✅ Understand regional staffing issues
✅ Move fast usually within 48–72 hours
✅ Deliver candidates who are vetted, trade-qualified, and reliable
✅ Handle everything from initial screening to onboarding
✅ Offer both labour hire and permanent recruitment
From boilermakers in Port Augusta to refrigeration techs in the Riverland we’ve got the right people, ready to work.
If you're sick of empty roles and unreliable recruitment, let’s fix it.
Want to learn more? Visit our About page, or explore how we help businesses through Apprenticeships and skilled labour hire across SA.
