Nearly half of all businesses in Western Australia and Queensland are being negatively impacted by skills shortages, a new survey has revealed.
Bankwest's Social Indicator Series showed 40 per cent of respondents in WA and QLD reported difficulties in attracting staff had negatively impacted their business, compared to 28 per cent in the rest of Australia.
The survey also showed 47 per cent of WA- and QLD-based businesses had experienced difficulty filling job vacancies over the past year, compared with 36 epr cent for the rest of Australia.
WA and QLD are also paying staff more than other states, with 49 per cent of respondents reporting higher than usual pay rates, compared to 31 per cent in the rest of Australia.
And 74 per cent of businesses in WA and QLD reported being forced to hire less experienced workers, compared to 66 per cent for the rest of Australia.
Bankwest business chief executive Ian Corfield said the looming skills shortage was a concern for many businesses, particularly given ongoing resource demands from Asia.
"A lot of Australians may think we saw the worst of the skills shortage prior to the global financial crisis," Mr Corfield said.
"But businesses are telling us that the worst may be still to come.
"Both Western Australia and Queensland are feeding the resource needs of China and India. This is putting direct pressure on local job markets and it has an additional flow on effect into the other states.
"This is resulting in significant changes in the way businesses operate."
Bankwest surveyed 586 businesses nationally during November and December to compile the Social Indicator Series.
