Skills shortage sees new opportunities for working holiday makers

A skills shortage in Australia is giving backpackers a better opportunity to find work as the hospitality and construction sectors struggle to plug staffing gaps.  

According to research by the Australian Institute of Management, approximately 75 per cent of Australia’s managers believe their workforce has a “skills gap.”

Victoria in particular has identified a shortage of workers in more than 50 trades, with builders keen to train carpenters, bricklayers, roofers and tilers, according to the Herald Sun.

Senior manager of employment, education and training policy at the Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) Andrew Rimington said tour operators in particular were in need of hospitality workers while bakers, carers and early childhood teachers were also in high demand.

In South Australia, the skills shortage has been identified as the most concerning issue for business owners, results from a study have shown.

Accounting firm MHM found the Global Financial Crisis had taken a back seat to talent recruitment and retention as the biggest risk for businesses with the state facing an exodus of talented employees and an ageing population.

The entire state of South Australia is considered “regional” under the second year working holiday visa scheme, which will enable backpackers to undertake their three-month specified work requirement in any part of the state.

By Alice Terlikowski  ·  January 11th, 2010 at 11:31 am

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Comments


  1. Macca
    13 Jan 10
    5:55 pm

    2. There are a huge amount of projects that have been mothballed to get underway around the country. The skills shortage started with the closure of the Technical Schools and privatization of government departments such as power, telecommunications, water etc.
    The Federal Government has allocated $5 million over the coming years for apprenticeship programs.
    Over the years we have seen the set-up of Group Training organizations that take on apprentices in bulk, hiring them out to businesses to suit their needs, whether it be a week, 3 months or 3 years.
    Many apprentices are missing an opportunity as an apprentice cannot go into the workshop without the supervision of a tradesman.
    Could not there be a system where the tradesmen and women on a Working Holiday Visa be signed as “working buddies” for these apprentices to be trained?

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