Doctors, nurses, teachers, tradespeople: Australia’s much discussed skill shortages are a hot topic in the media today. Skill Shortages in Australia’s Regions, the latest working paper from the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (BTRE), provides a timely overview of this topical issue from a locational perspective.
Many of Australia’s regions are experiencing difficulties in recruiting and retaining professionals, particularly in the fields of health and education. Some occupations are in shortage throughout Australia, while other shortages are specific to particular geographic areas. Skill shortages are most prevalent at times of strong economic growth, and the causes are complex, with solutions needing to be tailored to individual situations.
Providing more publicly funded training to alleviate skill shortages is not always the most effective solution.
In some circumstances, industry led training may lead to a better match between the supply of and demand for skills. Working conditions and wages also play an important role in skill shortages.
In some occupations, the problem lies not in the number of trained people, but in the willingness of those people to take up positions at the current rates of pay and conditions. Governments as employers, particularly in the areas of health and education, can take a leading role in establishing appropriate conditions.
Skill Shortages in Australia’s Regions was prepared at the request of the National Regional Research Network (NRRN), a former working group of the Standing Committee on Regional Development (SCORD).
The Area Consultative Committee Network supplied the BTRE with reports and studies which underpin this report. Skill Shortages in Australia’s Regions will provide regional communities with some suggestions on how to identify and respond to skill shortages.
The 2006 edition of About Australia’s Regions has also been released. This handy, pocket sized booklet of regional statistics provides a brief and accessible introduction to key social, economic and environmental statistics about Australia’s regions.
Updated information in the 2006 edition identifies which regions experienced the fastest population growth and the highest average incomes. A new table shows that several aspects of social capital are relatively low for Australia’s major cities. For example, only 55 per cent of people in the major cities report that their neighbours often help each other out, compared to more than 70 per cent in outer regional, remote and very remote Australia.
BTRE research is available to all who are interested. These and other BTRE publications can be freely downloaded from www.btre.gov.au
For enquiries related to the above publications email Leanne Johnson at leanne.johnson@dotars.gov.au or phone (02) 6274 7355.
BTRE also publishes many of its reports in hard copy. To obtain a free copy email btre@dotars.gov.au
