Historically, the NT has faced workforce challenges driven by low population density, geographic remoteness, and high demand for skilled labour. 

To overcome these barriers, the NT Government has focused on skilled migration and worker attraction as a key strategy to sustain economic growth and support local businesses. 

Post-COVID, a re-invigorated worker attraction drive has been undertaken to entice skilled international and domestic workers to ‘Work and Live in Australia’s Northern Territory’. 

This strategic initiative has seen the NT deliver both face-to-face and online events in countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand. Domestically, the campaign has run in southern markets during winter months. 

Designed to position the NT as a desirable place to work and live, this drive has connected qualified international and domestic jobseekers with local employers and General Skilled Migration (GSM) opportunities. 

With the recent announcement that the NT will benefit from an increase in GSM nominations to 1,650 in 2025- 26 (an increase from 1,600 on the previous year), there is an ongoing imperative to build a future-ready workforce to support local businesses. 

The NT Designated Area Migration Agreement (NT DAMA III) features the best concessions in Australia with more places, more occupations and streamlined processes for NT businesses. 

Migration programs are vital to rebuilding the NT’s economy and maintaining our unique lifestyle. They help stabilise population growth, drive regional economic development and address skill shortages, particularly in remote and regional communities. 

The NT Government continues to prioritise jobs for Territorians first, followed by interstate workers, before seeking international workers. 

Skilled Migration complements the centrepiece of the NT Government’s worker attraction drive, Territory WorkerConnect – a home-grown digital jobs board that links jobseekers with local employers looking to fill critical vacancies. 

To date, more than 1.1 million job searches have been performed on the platform – a significant milestone since WorkerConnect was launched in 2023. 

This surge in activity shows just how many people are exploring opportunities to work and live in the NT, as the region looks to attract 14,000 new workers over the next five years. 

With more than 900 NT employers and 16,000 jobseekers already using WorkerConnect, the platform has become more than a digital jobs board. It has evolved into a growing community connecting people and businesses with job opportunities – all for free. 

One of the local businesses using WorkerConnect is the Nightcliff Sports Club in Darwin’s northern suburbs. 

Manager Paul McGuire – who moved to Darwin from the Gold Coast with his wife Angela in 2025 and immediately bought a house – heard about WorkerConnect through discussions with the NT Government via DAMA 

“WorkerConnect was so easy to use,” Paul said. 

“It’s tailored for employers looking to fill skill shortages, especially in regional areas. It’s great to see candidates who are genuinely interested in working and living in the Northern Territory.” 

The Sports Club has hired three overseas team members: Parakorn Kunarak from Thailand, Jane Rinelke from Indonesia and Huizhong “Jo” Ku from China. 

Traffic management company, TrafficWerx NT, is another Northern Territory business benefiting from WorkerConnect. 

TrafficWerx NT has a dedicated team of traffic controllers available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year but are always on the lookout for new team members. 

WorkerConnect has helped the company find new workers at short notice. 

TrafficWerx NT Media Liaison Officer, Jen Fellows said: “WorkerConnect is a great way to connect with local talent and promote opportunities across a range of industries. 

“The platform enables you to reach job seekers and showcase how accessible a career in traffic control can be. 

“We have used WorkerConnect to post job vacancies, explore candidate profiles and share what qualifications are needed to start working in our industry.” 

If you’re a business looking for staff, find out more about the NT Government’s skilled migration opportunities at: australiasnorthernterritory.com.au/ move 

If you’d like to connect with jobseekers, visit workerconnect.com.au. TQ