Scott Morrison says he is committed to regional jobs despite record high vacancy rates.

The Prime Minister’s latest electron pledge is for a regional jobs boom, while employers are increasingly resorting to desperate measures to lure staff.

The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) says there were more than 84,400 regional job vacancies in March, a record high and a 27.5 per cent increase compared to 2021.

That number has reportedly doubled since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The top growth spots are in Queensland, with 24,235 vacancies, and New South Wales, with 23,987 vacancies.

Scott Morrison says that if his government is returned in the May election, it will create more than 450,000 jobs in regional Australia over the next five years.

Farmers and other regional business operators have already resorted to offering bonuses to workers who stay for more than a few months. 

The Prime Minister has given no detail on how the government intends to get people to sign up for the jobs.