SOURCING labour in Australia has become more difficult in the past 12 months, according to the latest report from recruitment firm Clarius Group.
SOURCING labour in Australia has become more difficult in the past 12 months, according to the latest report from recruitment firm Clarius Group.
The Clarius Skills Index rose from a moderate 98.3 in the September 2009 quarter to a balanced-but-bordering-on-high reading of 100.6 for the September 2010 quarter.
During times of labour market tightness, when employers experience difficulty finding appropriately skilled employees, the index is greater than 100; at times when skilled employees are easier to find, the index is less than 100.
In terms of unemployment rates, the report showed the labour market continued to strengthen over the last quarter, with the unemployment rate falling to 5.1 per cent in September – down from a high 5.8 per cent in October 2009.
The report attributed the strong result to a general recovery in economic conditions, which boosted demand for labour and impacted on hours worked.
The unemployment rate for WA rose between September and August, from 4.5 per cent to 4.6 per cent.
The report said despite this rise, the unemployment rate for the state is still very low compared to the rest of the country.
“Employment in mining continued to grow (in WA), as strong demand for mineral commodities in emerging Asia have encouraged Australian miners to expand production,” Clarius said.
“Construction employment also grew strongly, reflecting heavy investment in resource related infrastructure, whilst retail trade expanded on the back of rising household income and population growth in the state.”
According to the report, 10 of the top 20 skilled occupation categories measured by the index are now experiencing shortages.
Those are: building and engineering professionals; computing professionals; building and engineering associate professionals; chefs; metal tradespersons; automotive tradespersons; construction tradespersons; food tradespersons; wood tradespersons; and hairdressers.
The index noted the trend in four of those trades categories (construction, metal, automotive and wood) are involved in aspects of infrastructure projects across the country.
“With the economy recovering and the labour market strengthening, following the GFC, the September quarter index shows that the oversupply of skilled workers is narrowing across the trade, associate professional and professional occupation groups,” it said.
“Overall the index quarter on quarter growth shows it has risen by almost 1 per cent which translates into a small shortage of approximately 21,300 skilled workers in the Australian labour market, which comprises close to 12 million people in total.”
