Hiring in regional Australia is not the same as hiring in a major city.
Local populations are smaller.
Training pathways are limited.
Young people often leave for study and work.
Healthcare providers, aged care services, construction firms, engineering practices, and other regional employers are doing all the “usual things” to recruit. Advertising locally, investing in trainees, paying for locums or fly in fly out coverage.
Yet many are still short staffed.
Designated Area Migration Agreements, DAMAs, exist because of that reality.
This article explains what DAMAs are and what they can mean for regional employers who need a stable, skilled workforce.
In metropolitan areas, a job ad will often attract at least a few experienced applicants.
In regional areas, employers may see:
few or no qualified applicants
repeated reliance on trainees
greater use of locums or temporary staff
ongoing gaps that never fully close
Traineeships can be valuable, and local hiring is important, but they do not always lead to long term staff. Employers pay wages, invest training time, and carry the productivity cost, only to see the person move away or change direction.
In many occupations, the underlying issue is not effort, it is supply. The skills simply are not available locally in sufficient numbers.
A Designated Area Migration Agreement is a formal agreement between the Federal Government and a specific region.
These regions have provided evidence that:
they have ongoing workforce shortages
local workers cannot meet the demand
standard sponsorship settings are not enough
A DAMA can:
include additional occupations that are not usually eligible for standard sponsorship
reflect regional market conditions when assessing roles
create clearer pathways for skilled overseas workers into regional communities
Each DAMA is tailored to the needs of its region. Each has its own list of occupations and settings. It is a structured response to a documented workforce challenge.
For regional employers, the value of a DAMA becomes clear when compared with the alternatives.
Instead of relying only on:
trainees who may not stay
temporary arrangements like locums or fly in fly out coverage
a DAMA can allow you to sponsor workers who:
already have the skills and experience you need
are prepared to live and work in a regional area
want long term stability for themselves and their families
This brings stability to teams, predictability to rosters, and breathing room for planning.
DAMAs are detailed legal frameworks. Employers are not expected to interpret occupation lists, concessions, or criteria on their own.
In practice, the process looks more like this:
you describe the roles you need to fill and how your business operates
a legal team checks whether a DAMA or other sponsorship pathway applies
you receive advice on what is possible and what the next steps would involve
This allows regional employers to make informed decisions without needing to become migration experts.
If your key roles appear on your region’s DAMA list, that is a clear signal. It indicates that your workforce challenge is recognised at a policy level and that there is a pathway designed for it.
Local recruitment will always matter. But for many regional employers, it will not be enough on its own.
Understanding how DAMAs work is the first step to deciding whether they should be part of your long term workforce strategy.
If you would like a quick sense of whether sponsorship might be an option for your business, you can start here:
👉 60-Second Business Eligibility Check
solvi.com.au/hire-international-workers-eligibility-checklist