Search Results

In 2022, when Australia saw one of the tightest labour markets on record, regional job vacancies grew faster, regional recruitment difficulty tracked higher, and regional unemployment remained lower than metropolitan areas. While the regional labour markets expanded, the supply of workers did not keep up with demand, leaving critical shortages in many areas. This report uses Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) data from Jobs and Skills Australia to analyse regional job vacancy data from both 2022 and from the last decade to present a view of the labour market challenges and opportunities in regional Australia.

The top four occupational groupings by total vacancies in December 2022 were: (1) medical practitioners and nurses; (2) general-inquiry clerks, call centre workers, and receptionists; (3) carers and aides; and (4) sales assistants and salespersons. The report highlights several policy considerations, many derived from targets set in Regional Australia Institute's Regionalisation Ambition 2032 to address challenges in jobs and skills over the next decade. As the Ambition emphasises, solving jobs and skills shortages means addressing other interlinked challenges such as a shortage of regional housing and community services critical to liveability. The recommendations require a holistic approach from government, industry, and regional stakeholders to tackle the jobs skills crisis in regional Australia.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Accounting for the endogenous relationship between health and hours worked, the goal of this study was to estimate the effect of mental health on the working hours of nursing professionals. The impact of hours worked on mental health was also investigated. The data was based on the Work Outcomes Research Cost-benefit (WORC) survey conducted in Australia during 2005 and 2006. The study sample of 6086 nurses represented -15 per cent of nurses in Queensland. Analysis involved the use of simultaneous equations estimated with generalised method of moments. The analysis of the data identified an endogenous relationship between mental health and hours of labour supplied. The findings revealed that among Queensland nurses, a deterioration of mental health was associated with a reduction in hours worked and increasing hours worsened mental health. The findings imply that an effective approach to meeting nursing shortages should include strategic attempts to improve the mental health capital of nursing staff. Previous studies have shown resilience training in the workplace as effective in increasing the supply of labour.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

International education is receiving increasing attention from governments around Australia, both in terms of policy reform and direct funding support. Although international education is consistently recognised by states and territories through their economic agendas, differences emerge in the way they choose to enhance the student experience, support market development, undertake overseas marketing and promotion and facilitate industry collaboration. The sector has been a growing source of export income for Western Australia (WA) in recent years. Export revenue from international education has increased by 51 per cent to $2 billion in 2018-19 from its most recent low in 2012-13. However, the rest of the nation has been growing faster. By 2018-19 Western Australia's share of international education national export revenue had fallen to 5.3 per cent, from a high of 8.1 per cent in 2009-10. Over the last two years, deliberate and critical changes have been made in response to Western Australia's loss of market share.

In recognition of the strategic focus that has been increasingly placed on the international education sector, in March 2020 StudyPerth engaged ACIL Allen Consulting to examine the economic contribution of the international education sector in WA. This study has been limited to the economic contribution associated with the spending by international students on the WA economy in terms of its contribution to output and employment across all sectors of the economy for the most recently completed calendar year of 2019. It should be noted, however, that the economic contribution of international education extends further than the spending of international students. In estimating the economic contribution of international education, expenditure has been isolated through the two streams of international student expenditure, and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) expenditure. The economic modelling has been undertaken using ACIL Allen's Input-Output (I-O) model of the WA economy. Results were produced by education sub-sector (Higher Education, vocational education and training (VET), Schools, English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and Non-award) and by key source market in terms of the direct and indirect impact of international student and VFR expenditure.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

The Australian labour market is in the midst of significant structural changes. Emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), are changing the demands for skills and tasks within jobs. Additionally, the economic crisis induced by [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19, in conjunction with other factors, have accelerated these adjustments. Three major issues for the Australian labour market are (1) skill shortages, (2) job transitions, and (3) AI adoption at the firm-level. This thesis by compilation addresses each of these issues in a series of four standalone papers. The first paper puts forward a range of indicators to detect skill shortages from a time series dataset of online job advertisements (ads). The second paper develops a machine learning model that accurately predicts skill shortages from job ads data and employment statistics.

The third paper conducts an in-depth case study of the journalism jobs crisis in Australia, examining both the changes in labour demand (using job ads) and labour supply (using employment statistics) from 2012-2020. Last, the fourth paper develops a novel method to measure the similarity between sets of skills from real-time job ads data. These similarity measures are then combined with other labour market variables to build a 'Job Transitions Recommender System' that accurately predicts transition pathways between occupations, validated against a longitudinal household survey. The same skills set similarity method is then used to construct a measure of new technology adoption in labour markets, showcasing AI.

Author's abstract. Show less

The first workforce capability report for surveying and geospatial professionals was prepared in 2012 and focused exclusively on New South Wales and Victoria. An update delivered in 2014 utilised the new Census and education data, with the analysis extended to Queensland and South Australia. The third report updates the earlier studies by including the latest workforce data from the 2016 Census and subsequent quarterly labour force surveys, as well as improved education data. For the first time, the third report provides a workforce capability state of play and outlook for every state and territory of Australia. The fourth report provides an updated workforce capability study utilising the 2021 Census data and the most recent developments across educational completions and labour market indicators. This report expands on previous iterations by providing analysis on the economic impact of surveyors and examines factors outside of the typical 'end-use' sectors which drive demand for the surveying and geospatial professions.

These reports seek to explain current and future demand and supply for surveying professionals in Australia based on the fundamental drivers including: end-use sector demands across the property, construction and mining industries; education enrolments and qualification completions; demographic ageing of the existing workforce and its impact on retirement within the surveying profession; and productivity growth driven by new technologies, practices and systems.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been hugely disruptive to the labour markets of many economies. As Australia reopens following lockdowns across many parts of our country the issue of labour and skill shortages is once again receiving significant attention. But the scale and type of shortages remains poorly defined. In this special National Australia Bank (NAB) Business Insight Report around 1,600 Australian businesses across a broad range of industries and sizes share their views on how prevalent the issue is today, their expectations for the next 12 months, and how they believe the issue can be solved. The survey was taken over the period 16 November to 13 December 2021.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

Australia is experiencing a tight labour market with evidence of extensive skills shortages across many occupations. The latest Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Skills Priority List [see report available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 156.402] showed that 36 per cent of occupations across Australia were in shortage in 2023, five percentage points higher than the equivalent figure in 2022. Skills shortages are a particular issue for the automotive industry. Of the 26 six-digit [Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations] ANZSCO occupations that are most prominent in the automotive industry, 35 per cent were assessed to be in shortage by JSA in 2023. A range of recent studies indicate that skills shortages are amongst the biggest challenges facing automotive businesses.

This report has been produced by Deloitte Access Economics for the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) for the purpose of supporting their response to the Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) 2024 Skills Priority List survey. The automotive industry in Australia covers a wide range of business activities with diverse skills needs. To reflect this, and meet the JSA's requirements, over 500 automotive businesses were surveyed across the country, representing over 2 per cent of industry employment. The report provides a summary of the findings from this cross industry survey, ensuring that the insights provided to JSA are data-driven and evidence-based.

Most automotive occupations were found to be in shortage, with fill rates particularly low for technician and trade workers. The key reason highlighted for not filling vacancies was low numbers of applicants per vacancy. On average, automotive businesses received 8.2 applicants per vacancy, well below the national average of 17.7. While low numbers of applicants were the diagnosis, many symptoms were identified by employers to be driving these issues. These included a lack of skilled/qualified workers, issues with the industry training pipeline, challenges around visas, remuneration concerns and competition from other industries, with many businesses calling for a greater focus from government on tackling the chronic lack of support for technician and trade professions in Australia.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

In the wake of a [COVID-19] pandemic and deep recession, this third Faces of Unemployment report examines the profile of people affected by unemployment - those relying on the $45 a day JobSeeker Payment and even lower Youth Allowance. It looks behind the headline unemployment statistics to reveal that long-term unemployment - as measured by reliance on unemployment payments for over 12 months - is now entrenched at an economically and socially harmful level. It examines trends in entry-level jobs and 'mismatch' in the labour market, showing that it's no easy matter for people who are unemployed to secure paid work despite growth in job vacancies. We also look at the assistance provided to people by jobactive employment services and what should be done to improve the employment prospects of people unemployed long-term.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

[This plan] seeks to address a key aspect of the Queensland Government's aspiration to grow the economic contribution of tourism to the Queensland economy to double its current level in terms of visitor expenditure by 2020. Labour supply and skill shortages have been identified both at national and at state level as major potential constraints in achieving growth targets. The report provides an overview of the tourism, hospitality and event industry and makes some general observations about employment in tourism and its challenges. Key partners are identified with specific current initiatives highlighted for reference purposes. The Report identifies that broader demographic and labour trends, particularly driven by the expanding resource sector, have placed further urgency on labour and skills issues in the tourism and hospitality industry. The industry workforce development priorities categorised within the report are expanded under the areas of: (1) workforce planning; (2) quality and skills development; (3) attraction, recruitment and retention; (4) traineeship and apprenticeship; and (5) migration.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

There is a global demand for health professionals. In developing countries, the health workforce is ageing rapidly. In Australia, 42 per cent of surgeons were aged over 55, and the average age of nurses was 50. Health workforce migration is seen as an answer to short-term domestic labour shortages. In Australia, migrant health workers are often recruited to work in rural, regional and remote areas. Developed countries are looking at specific migration categories that are designed to attract and retain skilled workers. Changes in the rules for international students are also being examined as a way of alleviating the shortages. Australia, like other developed countries, will face increased competition in attracting and retaining skilled health migrants. Show less