BETTER CONNECTIONS

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BETTER CONNECTIONS BETTER OUTCOMES

• IMPROVING LABOUR MARKET EFFECTIVENESS
• Albany
• 5 October 2006

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Origins of the workshops

• DEWR undertakes a range of research and analysis
  of labour supply and skill shortages
• DEWR, with other Government agencies, is looking
  at how to address Australias labour supply and
  skill shortages
• Run a series of workshops to share information
  and ideas

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Objective of the workshops

• Improve Labour Market Effectiveness by
• addressing labour supply and skill shortage
  issues
• increasing labour market participation (target
  groups mature aged, single parents, people with
  a disability, Indigenous Australians, people from
  culturally and linguistically diverse
  backgrounds, youth)
• establishing and further developing linkages
  between relevant organisations

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Agenda

• Tea and Coffee on arrival
• Welcome and Introductions
• Better Connections presentation
• Morning tea break
• Identification and discussion of issues
• Developing an action plan
• Drawing it together
• Closing Remarks

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Lower Great Southern Employment Service Area
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Lower Great Southern Employment Service Area -
Profile

• Working Age Population (15-64) 37,400
• Unemployment Rate 4.2 vs 4.1 for WA
• Education
• 30.3 of the population completed post school
  qualifications compared with 35.2 for the state
• 8.1 of the population completed a degree or
  higher compared with 12.1 for the state
• Diversity
• 15.7 of the population were born overseas
  compared with 26.9 for the state
• 4.5 of the population were born overseas in a
  non-English main speaking country compared with
  11.7 for the state

Source ABS Population Estimated, June 2005, DEWR
Small Area Labour Markets June 2006, 2001 Census
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Lower Great Southern Labour Market Demand

• Industry
• Employment by industry vs Western Australia and
  Australia
• Employment status by industry

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Workforce Tomorrow 2005-2010

• The impact of Workforce Ageing in Australia is
  the equivalent to a shortfall of 195,000 workers.
• Shortfall in Australia by industry
• Retail Trade 22,100
• Education 18,400
• Agriculture, Forestry Fishing 8,000
• Health and Community Services 8,000

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Lower Great Southern Skills in Demand Survey

• 241 employers surveyed from 11 industries.
• Employers reported 643 vacancies over the last 12
  months
• 65 of recruiting employers had difficulty
  filling vacancies.
• 9 of vacancies remained unfilled.
• Recruitment difficulties were most prominent in
  the Construction, Property and Business Services
  and Health and Community Service industries.
• Employers had the greatest difficulty recruiting
  Tradespersons.

Source DEWR, Lower Great Southern Skills in
Demand Survey, August 2006
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Source DEWR, Lower Great Southern Skills in
Demand Survey, August 2006
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Occupations difficult to fill

• Other
• Mobile Construction Plant Operators
• General Clerks
• Accountants
• Labourers
• Electrical and Telecommunications Trades
  Assistants
• Meat and Fish Process Workers

• Trades
• Glass Tradespersons
• Cabinetmakers
• Meat Tradespersons
• Electricians
• Motor Mechanics
• General Fabrication Engineering Tradespersons

Source DEWR, Lower Great Southern Skills in
Demand Survey, August 2006
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Source DEWR, Lower Great Southern Skills in
Demand Survey, August 2006
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Source DEWR, Lower Great Southern Skills in
Demand Survey, August 2006
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Recruitment Expectations

• 34 of employers surveyed anticipate employment
  growth in their business in the next 12 months.
• 54 of businesses surveyed expect to recruit in
  the next 12 months.
• 58 of employers who anticipate the need to
  recruit in the next 12 months, expect to have
  difficulty recruiting.

Source DEWR, Lower Great Southern Skills in
Demand Survey, August 2006
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Lower Great Southern Labour Market Demand

• All vacancies lodged and filled (Job Network and
  Job Placement Organisations)
• New Apprenticeship vacancies lodged and filled
  (Job Network and Job Placement Organisations)
• New Apprenticeship commencements (DEST 2005/06)

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Lower Great Southern Labour Market Supply

• Working Age Customer Populations
• Working age payment recipients
• Centrelink and Job Network populations

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Summary

• The unemployment rate in the region has declined
  considerably over the past two years.
• Nevertheless there is still a high proportion of
  the Working Age Population in receipt of a
  Centrelink allowance.
• Employers in the Construction and Manufacturing
  industries faced particular difficulty in filling
  vacancies.
• Job opportunities exist in a number of Trade
  Professions.
• Lack of experience and a poor attitude to work
  were identified as major reasons for job seeker
  unsuitability for lower skilled jobs.
• Current demand for lower skilled workers can be
  better addressed by increasing the participation
  of target groups.
• Employment outcomes can be improved through
  increased access to work experience and by
  addressing issues relating to the attitude of
  applicants.

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Mature Age Employment and Workplace Strategy
(MAEWS)

• Lower Great Southern has been selected as one of
  the regions for MAEWS in 2006/2007.
• The Strategy aims to increase workforce
  participation by mature age Australians.

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Mature Age Employment and Workplace Strategy
(MAEWS)

• There are three elements in the package
• Jobwise Outreach workshops and job seeker
  self-help groups
• Wise Workforce workshops
• Mature Age Industry Strategy
• Further details is available at the Jobwise
  website www.jobwise.gov.au

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Local area activities impacting on employment

• Brooks Garden Lifestyle Village currently under
  construction
• RAAFA Amity village final stage expected to be
  completed shortly
• CBH Upgrade opened end of September 2006
• Albany Ring Road construction well advanced on
  Stage one
• Grange Resources Southdown Iron Ore Project
  Planning approvals now in place
• Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre construction
  is expected to commence in February 2007 with
  completion expected March 2008
• Denmark Health Facility construction to
  commence in November 2006 with completion early
  2008

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Range of DEWR Programmes

• Job Network
• Employer Demand Demonstration Projects
• Employment Innovation Fund
• Job Placement
• Community Work Coordinators
• Voluntary Work Initiatives
• Green Corps
• New Enterprise Incentive Scheme
• Transition to Work
• National Harvest Labour Information Service

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Possible issues for consideration

• How to increase the participation of parents,
  people with a disability and mature age job
  seekers?
• How to increase the number of Australian
  Apprenticeships making it simpler?
• How do providers better engage with industry and
  employers to take advantage of opportunities in
  the region?

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Developing a local action plan

• Focus on practical actions for each issue being
  addressed
• Identify stakeholders and linkages

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Evaluation strategy

• Workshop evaluation to be filled out today
• Follow up survey of participants to assess
  specific actions/strategies undertaken
• Longer term data analysis to assess measurable
  items and analysis of qualitative information
  relating directly to each workshop

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Finish

• Thank you