#Skills Shortage
Let’s Talk: Overcoming today’s labour and skills shortages
Businesses all throughout the world are concerned about a labour skills gap and with reason. This week, we will try to figure out the ways to employ the best candidates for your business and fill key roles in the midst of a skilled labour shortage.
How you can help your business overcome ICT skills shortages in 2023
Paying a sizeable team of software specialists to carry out a bespoke development program doesn’t make sense in today’s times.
PM announces the end of 457 visas, proclaiming Australians must have priority for local jobs
The federal government is replacing 457 visas with a new type of temporary visa designed to ‘better target genuine skills shortages’. The announcement was made on Facebook by Malcolm Turnbull who explained “Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs”. The Prime Minister said the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa will feature “new requirements including […]
Addressing the Controversy: challenges and Benefits of Hiring Foreign Workers on 457 Visas
In 1996, then Prime Minister Paul Keating proposed the 457 Temporary Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa program. The subsequent Howard government then oversaw the implementation of the scheme, which enabled Australia to catch up to the immigration programs of many other developed countries, and thus increase its participation in global trade. The program still exists today […]
Local employers calling on overseas talent
New research has found Australian employers are looking beyond Aussie shores to address skills shortages, with vacancies being filled by talent from India, the UK and South Africa.
Skills shortage ranks among SMBs biggest concerns
A shortage of skilled labour is the biggest challenge facing small and medium businesses, according to a poll of state and territory winners and finalists in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards.
Could flexible staffing work for your growing business?
It’s common knowledge that the dual economy developing within pockets of the Australian employment sector is putting additional pressure on SMEs to compete for staff.
Slowing population growth could stop small businesses expanding
Slowing population growth and rising demand for skilled labour will negatively impact SMEs’ ability to expand, according to the latest Business & Population Monitor.
Employers face uphill battle for skilled employees
Australian businesses recruiting employees face increasing costs as skilled employees become harder to find, with key infrastructure projects, including the National Broadband Network draining the employee talent pool.
Skills shortage nets $661 million in federal budget funding
Australia’s acute skills shortage received a significant boost, with $661 million in funds allocated in the Federal Budget to address training, apprenticeship and adult literacy issues.
IT skills shortage triggers salary surge for some
Those with IT skills are picking up significant pay increases in Western Australia as demand for resources pushes up wages and demand in the state for qualified professionals.
WA engineering jobs shipped offshore
Engineering jobs are being filled by overseas workers while Western Australians miss out on work, Shadow Training Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said today. Ms Ravlich said there was an estimated $140billion worth of projects in the pipeline requiring 47,000 construction jobs and 11,500 permanent jobs. “While the Premier crows about the benefits of the impending boom, […]
NBN rollout sparks IT skills shortage fears
The National Broadband Network rollout by NBN Co has sparked warnings about shortages of skilled IT professionals required to complete the project. The Australian reports that NBN Co plans to triple its headcount from 100 to 300 employees by the ‘middle of the year’. NBN Co is looking to hire high level executives and IT […]
Pilbara workers earn $150,000 for risky 70-hour work week
Workers on Pilbara’s Gorgon Gas project are expected to work for 70 hours a week and for 29 days straight before having a 9 day break. The West Australian revealed yesterday that low-skilled workers such as labourers would get about $150,000 annually and qualified tradesmen would get about $10,000 more. The Master Builders Association Kim […]
Businesses hold onto staff in downturn
A recent survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Management has shown that 90 percent of businesses are confident about surviving the economic crisis, and see retaining skilled staff as the number one priority for their business during the downturn.
Is there a skills shortage?
Is there actually a skills shortage, or has it just been exaggerated? According to Need, recruitment trading portal and marketplace, the skills shortage is really just a creation of inefficient HR and recruitment practices. “Almost every industry in Australia is claiming there is a skills shortage, there are genuine shortages in some professions, such as […]
Plan your career path
Happy with your career? Well, 2.2 million working Australians aren’t. In fact, more than half of Australian workers fell into their career path and 64 percent are keeping an eye out for new career opportunities, according to a survey commissioned by Chandler Macleod’s CMyPeople, an online competency assessment system. “Not only does Australia have an […]
How to strategically recruit staff
Staff recruitment can be a lottery for business if it isn’t handled correctly. Astute employers use strategic recruitment measures to attract talented people, employ innovative recruitment techniques, and promote a strong employer brand, writes Charisse Gray. There is light in the skills shortage tunnel for employers who think laterally and use the raft of technological […]
Employing skilled migrants
Skills shortage solutions, while limited, include employing skilled migrants. We look at why and how SMEs should be employing skilled migrants to take advantage of overseas talent. The announcement of a 30 percent boost to permanent residency places for skilled migrants in the recent budget announcement makes a strong statement about the Rudd Government’s approach […]
Insider’s guide to running a family business
About 80 percent of all businesses in Australia are family businesses. Yet being in a family business isn’t easy, with a skills shortage and corporatisation to face. So read on to find out about successfully running a family business. A study by RMIT University shows that $1.4 billion will change hands in the next decade, […]
Solution to the skills shortage: apprentices and trainees
While lacking experience, apprentices and trainees can bring practical and financial business benefits. Dive into the recruitment pool of apprentices and trainees to quench your skills shortage drought. The skills shortage is crimping business throughout Australia, but apprentices and trainees can fill the void. Inexperience is not necessarily a negative. Filling these blank slates with […]
Part-time workers can end the skills shortage
Employers everywhere are talking about the skills shortage and the challenge of finding and retaining staff. So the question must be asked; what about all those talented parents with children at school? Many of these parents are educated, skilled, often have 10 or 20 years of relevant experience, and can work part-time. Is this a […]
Training key to retaining staff
Retaining staff is becoming harder as a result of the skills shortage. Gavin Dixon, CEO of Reckon Limited’s Business Division, offers his suggestions on how staff training and evaluation are a must for retaining staff, and keeping them happy, motivated and performing at their best. Staff turnover is expected to cost Australian businesses more than […]
Finding and retaining staff
Australia’s skills shortage is making the process of finding and retaining staff increasingly hard. But don’t let the skills shortage get you down; here are some simple and inexpensive staff recruitment methods. The focus of organisations on finding and retaining staff has greatly expanded over the past decade. This is partly in response to the […]