BETTER CONNECTIONS

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BETTER CONNECTIONS BETTER OUTCOMES

• IMPROVING LABOUR MARKET EFFECTIVENESS
• Lower South Coast
• Employment Service Area
• 11 December 2007

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Origins of the workshops

• DEEWR undertakes a range of research and analysis
  of labour supply and skill shortages
• DEEWR, with other Government agencies, is looking
  at how to address Australias labour supply and
  skill shortages
• Run a series of workshops to share information
  and ideas

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Objective of the workshops

• Improve Labour Market Effectiveness by
• addressing labour supply and skill shortage
  issues
• increasing labour market participation (target
  groups mature aged, parents, people with a
  disability, Indigenous Australians, long-term
  unemployed, people from culturally and
  linguistically diverse backgrounds, youth)
• establishing and further developing linkages
  between relevant organisations

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Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Better Connections presentation
• Identification and discussion of issues
• Morning tea break
• Developing an action plan
• Drawing it together
• Closing Remarks

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Lower South Coast Employment Service Area
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Lower South Coast Demographic Profile

• Working Age Population (15-64) 19 200
• Over half (51 ) of the working aged population
  is aged 4564 years, compared with 37 in NSW and
  Australia
• Unemployment rate 5.5 (June 07)
• Higher proportion receiving Centrelink allowance
  compared with the State
• Lower levels of educational attainment
• 31 have Year 12 education
• 39 have a post-school qualification

Source ABS 2006 Census / Centrelink
Administrative data, September 2007
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Population Change, Bega Valley SLA
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Lower South Coast Employment Profile
Source ABS 2006 Census
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Lower South Coast Survey of Employers
Recruitment Experiences

• 271 employers, concentrated in six key
  industries.
• 41 per cent of employers surveyed had recruited
  or attempted to recruit in the past 12 months.
• 6.3 per cent of vacancies were not filled.
• 13.6 per cent of employers reported one or more
  unfilled vacancies.
• 47.3 per cent of employers reported difficulty
  filling vacancies.

Source DEEWR, Lower South Coast Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, October 2007
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Lower South Coast Success filling most recent
vacancy
Source DEEWR, Lower South Coast Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, October 2007
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Lower South Coast Competition for recent
vacancies
Source DEEWR, Lower South Coast Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, October 2007
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Lower South Coast Reasons applicants were
unsuitable
Source DEEWR, Lower South Coast Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, October 2007
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Lower South Coast Difficult to fill occupations

• Higher skilled occupations
• Meat Tradespersons
• Motor Mechanics
• Real Estate Associate Professionals
• Secondary School Teachers
• Metal Fitters and Machinists
• Structural Steel and Welding Tradespersons
• Medium and lower skilled occupations
• Secretaries and Personal Assistants
• Farm Hands
• Other Miscellaneous Labourers and Related Workers
  
• Sales Assistants

Source DEEWR, Lower South Coast Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, October 2007
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Lower South Coast Recruitment Expectations

• 33 per cent of employers expect to recruit in the
  next 12 months.
• 75 per cent of employers who expect to recruit
  anticipate employment growth over the next 12
  months.
• 39 per cent of employers who expect to recruit
  anticipate replacing staff in the next 12 months.
• 38 per cent of employers who expect to recruit
  anticipate difficulty.
• 43 per cent of employers who expect to recruit
  would provide development opportunities.

Source DEEWR, Lower South Coast Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, October 2007
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Lower South Coast JNM and JPO Activity
Source DEEWR Administrative Data, 12 months to
August 2007
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Lower South Coast Apprenticeship Activity
(JNM/JPO)
Source DEEWR Administrative Data, September 2007
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Lower South Coast Centrelink and Job Network
Customer Populations
Source Centrelink and DEEWR Administrative Data,
September 2007
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Lower South Coast Centrelink recipeints by age
group and payment type
Source DEEWR Administrative Data, September 2007
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Lower South Coast Summary

• High proportion of people aged 4564 years
• Recruitment difficulties are common, but to a
  lesser degree than other regions
• Future anticipated growth will place further
  pressure on labour supply and increase the need
  to consider job seeker development and other
  sources of labour

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Local area activities impacting on employment

• Bega commercial precinct
• Eden conference centre
• Bega water transfer system
• Bega Hospital capital works
• Eden cargo facilities improvements
• South Coast Regional Strategy

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Possible issues for consideration

• Strategies focusing on Indigenous job seekers.
• Strategies to increase the participation of
  parents, people with a disability, mature age and
  the long-term unemployed job seekers?
• How to better engage with industry and employers
  to take advantage of opportunities in the region?
• How to increase the placement of job seekers into
  Australian Apprenticeships?

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Developing a local action plan

• Focus on practical actions for each issue being
  addressed
• Identify stakeholders and linkages

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Evaluation strategy

• Workshop evaluation to be filled out today
• Follow up survey of participants to assess
  specific actions/strategies undertaken
• Longer term data analysis to assess measurable
  items and analysis of qualitative information
  relating directly to each workshop

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Finish

• Thank you
• More information
• www.workplace.gov.au/bcw
• www.workplace.gov.au/regionalreports
• www.workplace.gov.au/lmip