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November 8, 2011 – Deloitte’s new report urges Australia to make immediate response and appropriate actions upon the country’s skilled worker shortage. The aforesaid study is a major discussion paper which first appears in the publication Building the Lucky Country – Business Imperatives for a Prosperous Australia, which is a long term initiative by Deloitte to drive a debate and action on issues critical to Australia’s future. Deloitte is a leading professional service firm and one of the Big Four accountancy firms in the world.

According to Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics, “The world is begging Australia to grow faster,” particularly in the light of resources boom. Likewise, according to Deloitte CEO Giam Swiegers, “A new reality looms. The problem in Australia over the coming years won’t be a lack of jobs – it will be a lack of workers.” Swiegers is afraid there will be a dramatic drop of skilled workers over the next five years. The study also says the shortage could see Western Australian businesses miss out on benefits of the resources boom.

Deloitte urges instead Australian businesses and government to act now to get ahead of the looming skill shortage. Deloitte’s WA Managing Partner Keith Jones says businesses and the government need to work together. “There needs to be a government – business partnership,” he said. Corporate businesses, with or without government, need to respond to the looming shortage of people who are going to deliver on their jobs.

According to Swiegers, “Leading organisations have already realized this and are engaged in ideas and solutions to get ahead of the game.

“They are already developing larger, more effective workforces, tapping into underutilised workers, getting the most out of the workers who already work for them, and using innovative, new ways to leverage hidden sources of labour capacity.

“Those who respond early and effectively will be best placed to flourish. By making good decisions and executing them well, we can all generate the long-term prosperity we want for our country and our children.”

Peter Collier, WA Training and Workforce Development Minister, is similarly urging the Federal Government to boost the intake of skilled migrants. He said, “The door is open, there are plenty of jobs and we’ve got a great quality of life in Western Australia.”

For interested parties, refer to the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) which was announced by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), and was revised in July 2011 under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program.

The SOL is based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) and reflects the high-value skills Australia needs. The list will continue to be updated annually at a minimum, to reflect changes in the needs of Australia’s labour market.

sources:
abc.net.au
startupsmart.com.au