Meta Description: Mars Petcare's Wodonga expansion adds 65 jobs and highlights the growing challenge of attracting and retaining skilled trades workers in regional Australian manufacturing.
When Mars Petcare announced the expansion of its Wodonga manufacturing facility — boosting output and creating 65 new jobs in regional Victoria — it made headlines for all the right reasons. Investment in regional manufacturing. Local jobs. Long-term economic confidence.
But behind the press release is a question every regional manufacturer, construction firm, and industrial employer across Australia is grappling with right now: once you've committed to the growth, how do you actually find — and keep — the skilled workers you need to make it happen?
It's a problem that's becoming more acute by the month. According to Australian Manufacturing, expansions like Mars Petcare's are part of a broader resurgence in regional manufacturing investment. That's good news for workers and communities. But it places enormous pressure on employers to build workforces that are not just large enough, but capable, stable, and engaged.
Here's what the Wodonga story teaches us — and what every employer in Australia's trades and industrial sectors can apply right now.
Why Regional Expansions Expose the Talent Gap Faster
Metropolitan employers have it tough when it comes to skilled trades recruitment. Regional employers have it tougher.
When a company like Mars Petcare scales up in Wodonga, they're not drawing from a deep urban talent pool. They're competing with other regional employers — agricultural operations, civil contractors, logistics providers, and local government — for a finite number of experienced workers. Tradespeople, food processing technicians, maintenance mechanics, electrical workers, and forklift operators don't materialise on demand just because a facility expands.
This is the structural reality of regional workforce development in 2026. Australia's skills shortage is well-documented, but it bites hardest in the regions, where the worker-to-vacancy ratio is already stretched thin.
For employers planning or executing similar expansions — whether in food and beverage, manufacturing, construction, or logistics — the lesson is clear: workforce planning can't be an afterthought. It needs to start before the concrete is poured.
What Actually Attracts Skilled Workers to Regional Roles
Talent attraction in regional Australia requires a different playbook to what works in Sydney or Melbourne. Workers weighing up a regional opportunity are asking different questions — about lifestyle, community, cost of living, and long-term stability.
Competitive and Transparent Pay
This one isn't negotiable. Regional workers know what their skills are worth, and with labour market data more accessible than ever, underpaying is a fast track to vacancies. If you're unsure what competitive rates look like across trades and manufacturing roles, our salary guide covers current benchmarks across industries and states.
Manufacturing employers in particular need to account for industry award rates, penalty rates for shift work, and any applicable enterprise agreements — all of which fall under Fair Work Commission oversight. Getting this right isn't just about compliance; it's a direct signal to workers that you value what they bring.
Genuine Career Pathways
One of the most common reasons skilled workers leave regional employers — or avoid them in the first place — is the perception that there's nowhere to go. A 65-person expansion like Mars Petcare's can change that narrative, but only if employers actively communicate what progression looks like.
Trainees who can see a clear line from entry-level production roles to team leadership, maintenance trades, or technical supervisory positions are far more likely to commit long-term. Investing in on-the-job training, supporting Certificate III and IV pathways through TAFE, and identifying internal candidates for upskilling sends a powerful message: we're building careers here, not just filling shifts.
Flexibility and Stability in Equal Measure
The post-pandemic workforce has recalibrated what workers expect. In regional manufacturing, that means roster predictability matters enormously. Workers with families, community ties, and long commutes need to plan their lives. Erratic scheduling, last-minute shift changes, or excessive overtime without notice are among the fastest ways to drive experienced workers out the door.
This doesn't mean sacrificing operational flexibility. It means building smarter rostering systems and using labour hire services to absorb demand peaks without disrupting the permanent workforce's stability.
Retention Is Where the Real Battle Is Won
Attracting workers to a regional role is hard. Keeping them is where most employers fall short.
The data is unambiguous: replacing a skilled trades worker costs between 50% and 200% of their annual salary when you factor in recruitment, onboarding, lost productivity, and training. In a regional context — where the replacement pool is shallow — that cost compounds quickly.
Build Culture Before You Need It
Workers stay where they feel respected, included, and connected. In regional settings, this often happens organically through community ties and workplace relationships — but it needs to be actively supported by management, not left to chance. Regular team communication, recognition of contributions, and visible leadership engagement all make a material difference to retention.
Don't Overlook the Exit Interview
Most employers conduct exit interviews. Few act on them. If workers are leaving your regional facility for the same reasons repeatedly — pay, management, shift patterns, lack of progression — that's not a coincidence. It's a system that needs fixing.
Partner With a Labour Hire Specialist Who Understands Regional Markets
One of the most effective tools for managing workforce stability in regional manufacturing and construction is a trusted labour hire partner who already has relationships with workers in those communities. Rather than starting from scratch every time a project ramps up or a team member moves on, a specialist recruiter can provide access to available workers with the right skills, the right attitude, and importantly — the right fit for a regional environment.
What This Means for Australian Employers
If you're planning a regional expansion:
Start workforce planning in parallel with your capital investment, not after it. The Wodonga model is a blueprint, but the worker pipeline needs to be built before the doors open.
If you're already operating regionally:
Audit your retention metrics honestly. Turnover in regional trades roles is often higher than metropolitan benchmarks — and more damaging. Fixing the root causes is almost always cheaper than absorbing the churn.
If you're competing for the same workers:
Differentiate on culture, career development, and consistency — not just pay. Workers in tight regional labour markets talk to each other. Reputation as an employer travels fast.
If you're scaling rapidly:
Consider a blended workforce model that combines permanent hires with strategic permanent recruitment and flexible labour hire arrangements. This gives you the agility to respond to demand without destabilising your core team.
The Bottom Line
Mars Petcare's Wodonga expansion is a genuinely positive story for regional Victoria's workforce. But it's also a case study in the challenge that sits at the heart of Australian manufacturing and trades employment right now: growth creates opportunity, and opportunity requires people — skilled, engaged, and willing to stay.
The employers who crack that code aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who invest in workforce planning early, treat retention as seriously as recruitment, and build workplaces where people actually want to build careers.
Harrison Barratt Group works with manufacturing, construction, logistics, and industrial employers across NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, SA, and New Zealand to source and retain skilled workers in both metropolitan and regional locations. Whether you're scaling up a facility or simply trying to reduce turnover in a tight market, get in touch with our team to find out how we can help.