Human Resource Management Innovation for Regional Development: An Exploration Study on Regional Australia

Despite investments towards creating jobs, driving economic growth, and building stronger regional communities, regional Australia reports higher unemployment levels than its metropolitan counterpart. Although there is a recent growth of jobs in science and professional fields in the regions, the shortage of skills, low employee retention, and high turnover rates continue to challenge organisations operating in regional Australia. Human resource practices in metropolitan organisations are not applied directly to their regional counterpart. Exploring novel, customised ways to attract, up-skill, engage, and retain employees in organisations operating in the regions is significant and timely, yet has received limited research attention. Adopting an exploratory case study approach, this project will focus on selected medium-sized organisations operating in regional Australia. Collecting data from employees, managers, and those handling human resource management (HRM) activities, the project team will first develop a deeper understanding of unique HR challenges faced by respective organisations. Second, we will investigate new and customised approaches to attracting, engaging, training and rewarding employees, thereby improving retention and contributing to regional development. The outcomes of this project, in addition to creating new knowledge, will impact promoting equality and creating sustainable communities.