For the Australian economy and labour market, challenges such as skills and labour shortages, regional mismatch and new ways of working had already begun to emerge due to increasing globalisation, demographic changes, technological advances, and digitalisation. Many of these have been exacerbated by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 disruption to business operations, trade, and labour mobility. Over the medium to long-term, a strategic approach is required to ensure the labour force is better equipped and more responsive to industry needs and future economic opportunities. The objective
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For the Australian economy and labour market, challenges such as skills and labour shortages, regional mismatch and new ways of working had already begun to emerge due to increasing globalisation, demographic changes, technological advances, and digitalisation. Many of these have been exacerbated by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 disruption to business operations, trade, and labour mobility. Over the medium to long-term, a strategic approach is required to ensure the labour force is better equipped and more responsive to industry needs and future economic opportunities. The objective of the National Workforce Strategy is to guide targeted action on workforce development across the economy and realise a new vision for Australia's workforce through to 2027. It is intended to be used by Australian Government agencies when developing sectoral or cross-sectoral workforce strategies, or other workforce measures.
The Strategy aims to ensure these strategies are built on a strong evidence base and are coordinated across agencies in line with broader Government priorities and actions. To support these objectives, the Strategy articulates five principles to guide a coordinated and consistent approach across government: (1) use data to create transparency of the current and future workforce; (2) equip Australians with in-demand skills and focus employment services on outcomes; (3) remove barriers and disincentives to work; (4) activate industry to design and drive change; and (5) target migration to fill skills and labour gaps.
The Strategy also sets out the Government's workforce policy priorities through three key areas of focus: (1) increasing the workforce participation and economic security of women, Indigenous Australians, and people with disability; (2) ensuring a skilled workforce is available to support critical sovereign capability; and (3) growing and supporting the care workforce to meet the needs of the ageing population and people with disability. The goal is to achieve the Strategy through agency-led policy initiatives and sectoral workforce strategies consistent with the three areas of Government focus and the five principles. A National Workforce Taskforce will coordinate government effort and maintain a strong focus on measurement to track progress and drive accountability.
Edited excerpts from publication.
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