An expansion of the designated area migration agreement (DAMA), covering the Orana region in north-west NSW means employers in the Riverina and Murray are eligible for concessions beyond the standard foreign recruiting system.

The move follows a long campaign by Regional Development Australia, which administers the program on the ground, to have the federal government vary the 2019 Orana agreement to include other parts of country NSW.

Regional Development Australia Murray chief executive Edwina Hayes said it was clear there was a need for more help elsewhere with 2338 job vacancies in the Riverina-Murray area, which extends from Wentworth to West Wyalong to Khancoban.

Of those, 359 are in the medical field, including nurses, 166 cover clerical jobs, 158 carers, 130 automotive and engineering trades, 121 in health therapy and 118 in sales.

"This is one arrow in the quiver to solve some of our workforce issues," Ms Hayes said.

"We're also working on population attraction programs like Country Change and we've also got an online jobs board called Jobs Riverina Murray, an employment ecosystem where employers can put their ads in and unemployed people can put their CVs in and match up."

Ms Hayes stressed the extension of the migration agreement was a "moderate win" that gave employers more options in finding workers.

"It's not a panacea and there's a lot of circumstances where the concessions won't be applicable," she said.

There are 129 occupations listed in the agreement with 70 of them subject to wage concessions, which means 10 per cent less than the minimum can be paid.

Jobs within that list range from accounts clerk to welfare worker and dentist to plumber.

Ms Hayes said COVID had raised awareness about employer-sponsored visas and indicated to bosses that it could be worth investing $10,000 in such a program.

Regional Development Australia Murray chair Mary Hoodless said she was keen to have the migration agreement take off and "reduce barriers and drive productivity gains in our economy".

"Employers in the Murray region will now be better able to fill impossible vacancies with access to visa concessions on employer sponsored visas," Ms Hoodless said.

"RDA Murray looks forward to meeting with employers to discuss what the DAMA might mean for them."

Regional Development Australia Murray's website will be updated from the end of April to allow employers to find information on requirements to tap into the agreement.

Murray MP Helen Dalton believes the extension will help productivity.

"This is great news for rural and remote NSW," Mrs Dalton said.

"We desperately need more health and education professionals, especially doctors and nurses, in this region, as well as skilled workers to fill positions that employers are currently unable to."

Moira Council is the only local government area in North East Victoria which is part of a DAMA in Victoria, being one of three councils, along with Greater Shepparton and Campaspe in a Goulburn Valley version.