BETTER CONNECTIONS

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BETTER CONNECTIONS BETTER OUTCOMES

• IMPROVING LABOUR MARKET EFFECTIVENESS
• East Gippsland
• Employment Service Area
• 16 April 2008

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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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Example of Prior Workshops

• Frankston
• Resulted in a successful Building Trades Night
  attended by job seekers, employment service
  providers, TAFES, Apprenticeship Centres, Group
  Training and other interested parties.

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Services for Employers

• Employment Service Providers
• Network of over 1000 independent recruitment
  offices
• Professional recruitment advice
• Candidate screening and shortlisting
• Access to JobSearch database
• Convenient, local service
• Job Search
• Australias largest free online job board
• www.jobsearch.gov.au

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Agenda

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

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East Gippsland Employment Service Area
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East Gippsland Demographic Profile

• Working Age Population (15-64) 51 130
• Older Adult Population
• Larger proportion aged between 45 and 64 compared
  with Victoria
• Unemployment rate 5.7
• Has increased over the past year
• Higher proportion of working age population
  receiving Centrelink payments compared with
  Australia

Source DEEWR Population Estimates, June 2006
2006 Census DEEWR Small Area Labour markets,
December 2007 Centrelink data, December 2007
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Education / Labour Market Information

• Education Attainment
• Lower proportion of the adult population have
  completed year 12
• Lower proportion have a Bachelor degree
• Higher proportion have a Certificate
  qualification
• Information on Jobs
• Job Outlook jobsearch.gov.au/joboutlook
• Skills Info skillsinfo.gov.au
• Australian Jobs 2007 workplace.gov.au

Source 2006 Census
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East Gippsland Indigenous Profile

• 1.5 of the adult population in the region
  identify as Indigenous
• Indigenous unemployment rate is 23 - 4 times
  that of the non-Indigenous population
• Low Indigenous participation rate in the region
• Indigenous population is younger than the
  non-Indigenous population

Source 2006 Census
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East Gippsland Industry Profile
Source 2001 and 2006 Census
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East Gippsland Survey of Employers Recruitment
Experiences

• 226 employers, concentrated in 8 key industries
• 61 of employers had recruited or attempted to
  recruit in the past 12 months
• 9 of vacancies were not filled
• A higher proportion of vacancies remained
  unfilled in the Construction and Manufacturing
  industries
• 15 of employers reported one or more unfilled
  vacancies
• 60 of recruiting employers reported recruitment
  was difficult

Source DEEWR, East Gippsland Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland - Success filling recent
vacancies
Source DEEWR, East Gippsland Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland - Competition for recent vacancies
Source DEEWR, East Gippsland Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland - Reasons applicants were
unsuitable
Source DEEWR, East Gippsland Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland Difficult to fill occupations

• Higher skilled occupations
• Office Managers
• Metal Fitters and Machinists
• Motor Mechanics
• Cooks
• Medium and lower skilled occupations
• Receptionists
• Childrens Care Workers
• Dental Assistants
• Sales Assistants
• Cleaners

Source DEEWR, East Gippsland Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland Recruitment Expectations

• 48 of employers expect to recruit in the next 12
  months.
• 64 anticipate employment growth
• 55 anticipate replacing staff
• 62 anticipate difficulty recruiting
• 44 would consider recruiting an apprentice or
  trainee

Source DEEWR, East Gippsland Survey of
Employers Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland JNM and JPO activity

• Opportunities for employment service providers to
  work with businesses in the area.
• Labouring vacancies accounted for 43 per cent of
  vacancies lodged with JNMs and JPOs.
• Opportunities for JNMs /JPOs to increase take up
  of apprenticeships and traineeships

Source DEEWR, Admin data 12 months to December
2007 East Gippsland Survey of Employers
Recruitment Experiences, February 2008
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East Gippsland Centrelink and Job Network
Customer Populations
Source Centrelink and DEEWR Administrative data,
December 2007
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Summary

• Increasing unemployment and older population
• Strong employment growth in the Construction and
  Health and Community Services industries
• Higher proportion of population receiving
  Centrelink payments
• Low supply of suitable applicants
• Need for applicants to have appropriate skills
  experience
• Need to consider apprenticeships / traineeships,
  engagement with employers, Indigenous job seekers

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Skilling Australia for the Future

• Productivity Places Program to deliver 450 000
  training places over four years
• Focus on priority occupations in areas of skills
  demand
• 175 000 of the places will be for job seekers
• Registered Training Organisations will work with
  Employment Service Providers to identify eligible
  job seekers
• Activity test changes will be made to reflect the
  priority given to training

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Local area activities impacting on employment

• Redevelopment of major Ports
• RAAF Base Expansion
• Proposed Commercial Rezoning of Sale CBD
• West Sale Aerodrome Infrastructure Renewal
• Proposed farm land rezoning
• Wellington Coast Subdivision Strategy

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Possible issues for consideration

• Strategies to increase the participation of
  Indigenous people, parents, people with a
  disability, mature age and the long-term
  unemployed job seekers?
• Strategies for better School to work transitions?
• Strategies for Employers and Employment Service
  Providers to work more effectively together to
  address skills and labour shortages?

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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
• www.productivityplaces.deewr.gov.au