A tight labour market, a shortage of applicants, and a lack of candidates with specialised skills are the major reasons many Perth employers are finding it difficult to recruit workers, according to a recent survey by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
The survey of 517 employers from nine industries, which is yet to be officially released, was undertaken in January in conjunction with the Small Business Development Corporation, to assess skills shortages in the Perth metropolitan area.
According to the survey, 61 per cent of employers reported difficulties recruiting workers in the current market, especially in the construction and manufacturing industries, and 59 per cent of employers expected recruitment to remain difficult over the next 12 months.
The overwhelming reasons for recruitment difficulties were a tight labour market and a lack of applicants (reported by 57 per cent of employers), as well as a lack of specialised skills (52 per cent), which was particularly relevant for the education, and property and business services sectors.
Wage pressure also remains high, with 16 per cent of employers indicating they were unable to secure candidates because remuneration was not competitive.
For those employers who sourced candidates but failed to fill vacancies, the main reasons for candidate unsuitability were a lack of experience (66 per cent of employer respondents), as well as a poor attitude (41 per cent), and unsuitability for the type of work (29 per cent).
By industry category, the majority of unfilled vacancies were in the transport and storage sector (23 per cent of overall vacancies), followed by retail trade (17 per cent), construction (16 per cent) and manufacturing (12 per cent).
For the employers surveyed, the average number of applicants per position was 2.4, while the average of suitable applicants was just 1 per position, meaning employers typically had only one appropriate candidate available.
Associate professionals had the highest rate of applicants per position (3.8), followed by labourers and related workers (3.1), although the rate of suitable candidates per position was 1.2 and 1.4, respectively.
For tradespersons and related workers, the average number of applicants per position was just 1.7, with 0.8 suitable candidates per position.
The main roles reported as difficult to fill were trade positions – including welders, electricians and metal fitters and machinists – as well as registered nurses, chefs and architecture and surveying professionals.
Employers in Perth recruited 93 migrants for 34 businesses, mainly in the manufacturing industry.
