The region's staff shortages are unlikely to ease with new data revealing the south-west has the lowest unemployment rate in the state.
The south-west's jobless rate of 0.9 per cent was singled out by the state government this week alongside Geelong (2 per cent) and Shepparton (2.8 per cent), as the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed the regional unemployment rate dropped to 3.2 per cent in the three months to June. This was the lowest rate in almost 50 years.
The south-west's figure is well below the national regional unemployment rate of 3.9 per cent.
Westvic Staffing Solutions chief executive Dean Luciani said while the "amazing figures" were a positive for the region, he understood it was a frustration for businesses seeking workers.
He said the region's low rate said a lot about community leadership and businesses and their ability to plan.
"(The region's) got really strong resilience and a stable economy helps drive those figures," Mr Luciani said.
"Low unemployment rates are always a challenge for business, however we should be pleased we've got so many people in work."
He said the region's youth unemployment was "a good three per cent below other regional centres" at 3.7 per cent, compared to Geelong (6.6 per cent), Ballarat (6.8) and Bendigo (11).
He said there was "no magic bullet" for businesses seeking staff with vacancies outweighing the number of people looking for work.
Businesses needed to review their willingness to be patient and train new staff, but also not lose sight of retention strategies.
"Don't forget your retention strategies and your long-term planning and succession planning because there's a lot of choice out there at the moment," Mr Luciani said.
"It's a pretty simple supply and demand arrangement."
Macchia Jewellery owner Dino Macchia is advertising for staff and said while he wasn't short of staff like many other businesses since the pandemic, he was always on the lookout.
He said often it wasn't the case of filling a role but getting the right person and retaining staff was both a challenge and an opportunity.
"We're always looking because people come and go so we're getting ready for that," Mr Macchia said.
"The average staff member in Australia only lasts three years. We hope they hang around but we understand they move on. We never look at it as a negative. It's an opportunity because there's always someone with different skill sets around the corner."
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