Recruitment Conditions in Australia

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The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEER) released a report yesterday on a March 2011 survey. Recruitment Conditions in Australian State Capital Cities and Darwin 2011 compares conditions across cities and occupations and assesses where employers are having difficulties filling vacancies compared to a year ago.

Recruitment difficulties

Not surprisingly, recruitment difficulty was high in Perth and very high in Darwin. Employers across the capital cities reported considerable difficulty recruiting for a variety of Technicians and Trades Worker occupations, many of which are essential to the resource industry. The following table taken from the report shows the comparative pressure Perth and Darwin are experiencing.

Impact of Recruitment and Retention Difficulty

Nearly 25% of employer reported difficulties in recruitment and retention had a negative impact on their business. The level of difficulty was stead for most capital cities but increased in Perth and Brisbane.

Recruitment concerns for the future

Employers reported their single biggest business concern were reduced/uncertain demand (33%) and skill shortages (32%). Concerns about skill shortages were most prevalent in Darwin and Perth. Brisbane expressed the most concern about reduced or uncertain demand, which is consistent with flood recovery efforts in Queensland.

Shortage of skilled workers

The shortage of skills was reported in two different ways. Employers found it more difficult to recruit higher skilled occupations, nearing the 20% mark for Professionals such as engineers. By contrast, lower skilled occupations were easier to fill with only 5% of Labourer jobs going unfilled.

Employers often hired people that didn’t have the skills needed to do the job. One is six candidates, overall, needed more training. In Perth, 25% of all applicants were underqualified for the job they were hired to fill. The two main skills/capabilities lacking in applicants were work experience (57%) and job-specific skills (57%).

Conclusion

The DEER survey clearly identified what has been widely reported by employers; Australia is suffering a skill shortage most remarkably in areas with a high demand for resource workers. The survey also shows Australian employers are often hiring under-skilled workers to fill vacancies. As the resource boom continues, employers in Perth and Brisbane are likely to feel continued pressure.

What you can do

The AMMA miningoilandgasjobs.com employment centre is designed to bring relief to the skill shortage in the Australian resource industry. If you're a jobseeker, lodge your resume. If you're a recruiter, post your job opening or review our database of skilled workers.

All charts and tables courtesy of Recruitment Conditions in Australian State Capital Cities and Darwin 2011