More than 20 companies will open their doors to former steel workers after the closure of an ageing blast furnace.
Some 600 job opportunities in South Australia are being made available through employers such as BHP and Nyrstar for workers affected by a September decision to close the Whyalla steelworks furnace.
The roles vary from specialised technical trades to labour hire across sectors including defence, mining, construction, engineering and fabrication.
Advisory firm KordaMentha has been running the steelworks since the South Australian government forced the operation into administration in early 2025 due to the previous owner's growing debts.
About 250 people reportedly accepted redundancies and finished up at the plant on Friday, while more than 500 jobs are expected to be lost at the site in total due to the furnace being permanently switched off.
But Premier Peter Malinauskas said the waning flames of the furnace would be replaced by an opportunity for jobs elsewhere using the same skills.
"We've got the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at the moment in South Australia," he told reporters on Sunday.
"There are work opportunities galore ... means these people will be able to quickly transition into the workforce.
"We want people to stay in these regional economies."
The SA and federal governments said they were fully funding KordaMentha to enable the business to meet all entitlements for redundant workers before the conclusion of the steelworks' proposed sale.
A consortium led by BlueScope Steel, which has been advising KordaMentha since March 2025, retains the right of final offer.
The sale is expected to be finalised by the end of 2026.
A new, modern furnace could be constructed on the site, but that process is expected to take years.
A $2.4 billion government support package has been provided to keep the site running since it entered administration in 2025, while $10.2 million has been put aside to help affected workers.
The site's blast furnace was commissioned in the 1960s but had been offline since April.
Located on the Eyre Peninsula, the Whyalla site is one of two Australian primary steelworks and the only local manufacturer of long products, including hot-rolled structural steel sections and rail.
It has served as the regional city's main source of employment and was responsible for 75 per cent of structural steel production in Australia to 2024.