MORE than seven in 10 Orana businesses had difficulty trying to recruit staff in the past year, according to a new study released by Regional Development Australia (Orana).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was one of the findings from the Workforce capacity of the Orana Region report, which was presented at Friday's inaugural Orana Outlook 2014 dinner.
Reasons given by those businesses that experienced recruitment difficulties included a lack of basic work skills (31 per cent), a lack of specialist skills (31 per cent) and a lack of talent caused by remoteness (27 per cent).
Some businesses reported competition for staff and wage pressures within the Orana region as creating difficulties in attracting and retaining staff.
The report also found 68 per cent of businesses used informal methods to search for staff, with word-of-mouth and personal networks forming the basis of many recruitment strategies.
When it came to business confidence, 45 per cent of those surveyed indicated they expected to grow their businesses.
The report also identified certain skills gaps and shortages across industry, especially in areas such as automotive and engineering technicians, trades workers, sales workers, design, engineering, science and transport professionals and health workers.
Research showed very real issues in accessing, recruiting and retaining staff, and attracting the right skills to existing jobs in the rexgion.
The report followed a year of planning, consultation and research into the Orana' workforce, skills and employer needs.
RDA Orana in partnership with 20 stakeholders from government, business, industry, education, training and employment sectors commissioned consulting firm Urbis to research the region’s workforce capacity to try to identify workforce issues faced by the region’s employers.
RDA Orana CEO Felicity Taylor Edwards said human capital was a key determinant of long-term regional economic growth.
“Where human capital is strong, generally there is strong economic growth, innovation, enhanced entrepreneurial efforts and social attitudes,” she said.
A skilled labour force was essential if the Orana region was to grow and be sustainable, Ms Taylor Edwards said, and RDA Orana would work with stakeholders to address the issues.
High among the strategies to be addressed included job readiness, aligning training to the region’s needs, workforce attraction and retention, job matching and maximising the transferring of skills.
