With ongoing lockdowns and health concerns, the trend of working from home seems to be here to stay. And with that, many professionals in Australia, and indeed all around the world, are thinking of moving away from big cities, to the countryside. But are we over-romanticizing the prospect of moving, or is it a possibility that we can now seriously consider? 

 In this episode of The Job Hunting Podcast, I interviewed Liz Ritchie, the CEO of the Regional Australia Institute. For almost 20 years, Liz has worked across the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors, and we crossed paths when we both worked at Australia's renowned think tank CEDA (The Committee for Economic Development of Australia). Liz is a change agent, a marketer, and a great researcher, so I'm not at all surprised with the high quality reports the Regional Australia Institute is producing this year, which is aligned with Australians' sentiment: Should we be moving back to the country? If we are working remotely, why are we living in big cities, if we could be down at the coast, or in the mountains?

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Timestamps to guide your listening:

• 6:43 – chat about interests and how people in Australia are thinking of moving to the country
• 13:34 – Liz’s career story and background
• 26:51 – talks about affordability and over-all health advantage of country living
• 30:04 - Can people now start moving to country and not regret it?
• 36:55 – Is this a trend in other countries as well?
• 44:23 - Is there always an appetite from the local communities to welcome people coming in?
• 47:47 – Migrants and Regional Australia
• 54:32 – Employment availability in Regional Australia

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Deniliquin ute muster world record
• Regional Australia Institute Quarterly Jobs Updated
• RAI Great Small City Data Tool
• RAI Migration Work
• Migrant success story in Nills, Victoria (Australia)
• CEDA - Committee for Economic Development of Australia
• Episode 8 - Interview with Alistair Freeman

About the host, Renata Bernarde

Hello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. 

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