Magnet State – attracting and retaining young people in South Australia to grow population, jobs, and economy

South Australia’s growth trajectory will be boosted through the Magnet State program – building on SA’s momentum in growing our state’s population and economy, through attracting and retaining the best and brightest.

The Marshall Liberal Government is investing $12.3 million over three years from the Jobs and Economic Growth Fund to further cement our growing reputation as a leader in space, cyber and hi-tech, which has helped deliver successive quarters of positive net interstate migration.

“This is a stat we’re very happy with – we are attracting more people to live and work in SA than are leaving, and in fact, net interstate migration into South Australia is at the highest level in forty years,” Premier Steven Marshall said.

“Labor had presided over a shocking brain drain. When we came to government, many South Australians weren’t choosing to stay in SA. They were finding their careers in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong and London – people in their thousands were leaving the state.

“We set ourselves a goal that within our first term we wanted to get that figure back to neutral. Pleasingly we were able to do that within our first two years, before the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

In the last full year under Labor (March 2017 to December 2017 quarter) SA lost 6,071 people interstate compared with a net gain of 963 under the Marshall Government (in the year to March quarter 2021).

“This positive migration into SA is something that every employer should celebrate, every parent and grandparent should celebrate, and overall, something the whole state should celebrate – our young people are now showing real confidence in South Australia.

“It’s no accident that Adelaide was recently named Australia’s most liveable city, and the third most liveable in the world – there are more South Australians in full time employment now than at any other time in our state’s history – and much of this employment growth is being driven by technology focussed industries.”

The Magnet State program will deliver:

  • A destination marketing campaign to increase awareness in the eastern states about the opportunities and lifestyle available in South Australia
  • An integrated graduate program to connect young South Australians with the ability to work for leading local and global companies from right here in SA
  • Focused engagement with young global talent interstate to build their curiosity and interest in being a part of SA’s future
  • Continued recognition and acceleration of young talent in South Australia through the ForceForty program
  • Targeted activities to increase regional population growth
  • Increased settlement supports for overseas migrants arriving into SA.

“While South Australia recorded the highest rise in gross state product (GSP) and highest GSP per capita growth in the nation in 2020-21, my Government is resolute in further growing South Australia’s economy, jobs and population – which is exactly why we are investing in the Magnet State program,” Premier Marshall said.

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