The Department of Employment recently released their 2013 Skills Shortages Australia report. The report was undertaken in consultation with over 5,500 employers and utilised data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Department of Education, Graduate Careers Australia (GCA), and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
Trade skills high in demand included:
– Automotive: automotive electrician, motor mechanic, small engine mechanic and panelbeater.
– Engineering: sheet metal trades worker, motor mechanic, small engine mechanic, panelbeater.
– Construction: stone mason, solid plasterer, roof tiler.
– Electrotechnology: air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic, electrical linesworker.
– Food: chef/cook, baker, pastrycook, butcher.
– Horticultural: arborist, landscape gardener.
Professions experienced less skills shortages overall; however, those with the greatest shortages included:
– Mining: mining engineer (excluding petroleum), petroleum engineer, geophysicist.
– Health: sonographer, optometrist and physiotherapist.
On a state-by-state basis, there were a larger number of applicants for all roles across all states and territories in 2013 with the exception of SA. NT boasted the largest increase in filled vacancies; plenty of opportunities for those with the right skills existed in Darwin. Numbers for Victoria and SA remained unchanged; employers in SA had the least trouble recruiting with the exception of the state’s regional areas. Recruiters in NSW experienced the most difficulty of any state or territory especially in regional areas. Overall, regional areas across all states and territories had greater skills shortages than metropolitan regions. This trend can be reversed with the implementation of state-based strategies. For example, the NSW Government currently incentivises regional relocation with grants offered by the Office of State Revenue.
Source: CareerFAQs (www.careerfaqs.com.au)
Cheers,
Annie Cerone
