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This article presents a newly developed research agenda to explore the increased needs of resource-rich regions in terms of sourcing industry-specific skilled labour. The article begins with a conceptual framework that maps the human resource management issues that are being magnified by the resources boom in Australia. The paper focuses of one of the five key thematic areas encompassed within the framework - labour global mobility. The difficulty in sourcing specialised skilled labour at this time indicates a major paradigm shift that is challenging long-held beliefs and constructs related to the nature of work in Australia with specialised skilled migrant workers actively sourced to fill positions in resources firms. After reviewing the international literature, we explore labour-sourcing practices as a response to dealing with skill shortages in the labour demand and supply of Australia's resource rich regions. This is followed by a discussion on how these practices have progressed in regional Queensland and Western Australia.

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The Joint Committee on Migration has decided to produce this interim report for the inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker Program because of the urgent need to address the substantial labour shortages Australia's agricultural and horticultural industry is facing for the upcoming harvest season. While the Working Holiday Maker program remains a key cultural exchange program, the agricultural and horticultural industry has also come to rely on working holiday makers to play a substantial role in harvesting. The shortage of working holiday makers has arisen primarily because of border closures due to the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic. This interim report contains recommendations for dealing with the present labour shortages, including the novel idea of developing a 'Gap Year at Home' campaign to appeal to young Australians who might have chosen to travel overseas to instead see some of their own country and undertake work in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Excerpt from publication.

The final report is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 142.986. Show less

Korea’s specialised high schools, which are the main providers of secondary vocational education, significantly contributed to the country’s rapid economic development in the past. However, today these schools are facing new challenges to their identity and status as the country’s industrial and labour force structures evolve and as demands of parents and students for higher education and elevated status rise. The failure of these schools to adapt to shifting needs of industries and expectations of students have contributed to a labour and skill shortage especially affecting small and medium enterprises (SME). In response to these problems, government, the industries and institutions of research and education are working together to establish an innovative, demand-oriented and competence-based system of vocational education. This article describes the current trends in the Korean labour market and presents selected policies and initiatives to minimise the existing skills mismatch and labour shortage.

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The Labour Market Updates are quarterly reports that provide information about issues affecting Australia's current and emerging labour market. This update brings together a range of Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data sources to analyse the state of the Australian labour market in the September quarter of 2023.

The report found that around 88 per cent of total employment growth (over the year to August 2023) was in occupations that typically require post-school qualifications. This reflects the importance of the higher education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems to growing a high-skilled Australian workforce. Around 60 per cent of total employment growth over this period was in occupations where VET qualifications are the primary pathway. This is reinforced by JSA's latest projections, that suggest that by May 2028, 100 per cent of all roles will require at least a secondary education (or Skill Level 5), with 86 per cent requiring a tertiary qualification (or Skill Levels 1-4). Other highlights include: a weakening of labour market resilience; female employment growth is particularly strong; and persistent shortages for Aged or Disabled Carers, Electricians, Child Carers and Carpenters.

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less

The purpose of the inquiry is to investigate and report on workforce challenges in the Australian transport sector, with particular reference to the following issues: current and future employment trends within the industry; industry needs and the skills profile of the current workforce; current and future skill and labour supply issues; strategies for enhancing recruitment, training and retention rates in the sector; and strategies to meet the demands of employers in regional and remote areas. Show less

Nurses are critical to deliver on the promise of 'leaving no one behind' and the global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They make a central contribution to national and global targets related to a range of health priorities, including universal health coverage, mental health and noncommunicable diseases, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety, and the delivery of integrated, people-centred care. No global health agenda can be realized without concerted and sustained efforts to maximize the contributions of the nursing workforce and their roles within interprofessional health teams. To do so requires policy interventions that enable them to have maximum impact and effectiveness by optimizing nurses' scope and leadership, alongside accelerated investment in their education, skills and jobs. This report, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the International Council of Nurses and the global Nursing Now campaign, and with the support of governments and wider partners, provides a compelling case on the value of the nursing workforce globally. The report reveals much to celebrate about the nursing workforce. Opportunities for advanced nursing education and enhanced professional roles, including at the policy level, can drive improvements in population health. At the same time, we continue to see vast inequities in the distribution of nurses around the world which we must address.

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Australians deserve to age with dignity. By 2031, nearly 20 per cent of the population is expected to be aged over 65, up from around 16 per cent currently. Investing in the aged-care sector to provide better care for more people must be a national priority. Aged-care workers currently care for more than 1.3 million Australians, both in the home and in residential settings. But as more Australians enter old age, we have failed to prepare for the human challenge at the centre of aged care by building a workforce that is both big enough and well-equipped to meet community expectations. As demand has soared amid major constraints on supply, there has been no comprehensive action to bring the two into balance.

Demand for workers is rapidly increasing due to demographic changes, increases to minimum staffing levels and new funding to address unmet demand. At the same time, low wages, a lack of career progression and poor training outcomes, combined with negative public perceptions of the industry, are constraining the supply of workers. The recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, while critically important, further add to demand with the need for more care at a higher quality. If the workforce continues expanding at its current glacial pace, [Committee for Economic Development of Australia] CEDA estimates that within the next decade there will be a shortage of 110,000 direct aged-care workers, and by 2050 more than 400,000 workers. Direct-care workers include personal-care assistants, nurses and allied-health staff (such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists amongst others).

Meeting the challenge requires: (1) Better wages and working conditions; (2) Getting more people into training, improving training outcomes and investing in ongoing development; (3) Continued migration, with new paths to attract high-quality, motivated workers; (4) Investment in new technology that reduces the burden on staff and improves care outcomes; and (5) Knowledge sharing and promotion of the industry.

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The Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) within [Foras Aiseanna Saothair] FAS was set up to investigate the supply and demand of skills in the Irish economy. [This report] is an attempt to examine the supply and demand of healthcare skills in Ireland. The report focuses on skilled healthcare occupations and examines the supply and demand trends of almost 30 occupations in the healthcare sector. The report contains details of the employment structure in each occupation including gender, numbers employed, and employment growth. This information is used to give a description of both the historical and current status of the occupations. The report also includes an analysis of a number of variables which may be regarded as indicators of shortage. These variables include immigration and vacancy data. This data, combined with the data on employment trends, provides an indicator of the current level of demand for each occupation. The report presents an overview of the current education provision for healthcare occupations and how it has evolved. It includes information on the numbers who enrol and graduate from education programmes in healthcare disciplines. This information, combined with estimates on the numbers of students who do not complete their education and the number of graduates who do not work in the healthcare sector in Ireland after graduation, is used to forecast future supply. The report also contains forecasts of the demand for healthcare professionals.

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The labour market recovery from the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic has been strong among advanced countries, partly reflecting massive and unprecedented policy support to workers and firms. This paper provides evidence and stylised facts about labour market tightening and labour shortages since the onset of the pandemic. Labour shortages have been widespread across countries, yet particularly in Australia, Canada and the United States; and across industries, yet particularly in contact-intensive ones like accommodation and food, but also manufacturing.

This picture is to a good extent driven by cyclical factors: in tight labour markets, workers are more likely to switch for better job opportunities. But this paper argues, based on illustrative evidence, that other factors beyond the economic cycle may also play a role: the post-COVID-19 increase in labour shortages may partly reflect structural changes, in particular changes in preferences, as some workers may no longer accept low-pay and poor or strenuous working conditions.

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Globalisation and the digitalisation of markets has changed the competitive situation in the hospitality and tourism sector. Action is now needed because of increased demands and expectations of travellers on the one hand and increasing competition on the other. Only those companies focussed on service quality, caring for the environment and aiming for sustainability will be able to hold their own.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less