We spent eight years in an area classed as regional, albeit on 50km from Perth. What we found was that other than trades, jobs were very thin on the ground, what jobs they were, were generally service industry, minimum wage and part time.
Also, the reality is, most migrants are younger and want what the big cities have to offer, the restaurants, bars, theatre and lots of variety. Many have young children and want good schools and the availability of those tends to be in the cities.