Skilled workers still in demand

Expect shortages of skilled workers to persist, the Department of Labour warns.

It has surveyed firms seeking skilled workers in 16 trades and found shortages in all of them.

Only four out of 10 vacancies were filled within six to eight weeks of their being advertised.

The supply of fully qualified new people entering trades through training or immigration is not keeping up with losses from retirement, emigration or people switching occupations, it found.

The trades reviewed were: automotive electricians, bakers, boat builders, bricklayers, butchers, cabinet makers, carpenters, diesel mechanics, electricians, fitters and turners, fitter-welders, hairdressers, motor mechanics, panel beaters, plumbers and sheetmetal workers.

For every 1000 people in those trades only 18 fully qualified people joined them in 2003, compared with 28 in New South Wales, which also considers it has skill shortage problems.

It is only marginally above than the rate at which people are retiring from them - 13 for every 1000 in 2003.

"Supply would be further reduced through some tradespeople moving into other occupations, though net inward migration made a small positive contribution," the department said.

"Employers told us that changes ot the apprenticeship system in the 1990s impacted heavily on training.

"Other factors mentioned including the winding down of many government-based apprentice training initiatives, economic recession and the rising proportion of young people embarking on tertiary academic study."

The proportion of vacancies filled within six to eight weeks was lowest for automotive electricians (15 per cent) but highest for motor mechanics (72 per cent).

People in the building trades were in notably short supply with only 23 per cent of bricklayer jobs filled within six to eight week, 32 per cent of plumbers and and 38 per cent of carpenters.

Some of the employers surveyed by the department mentioned working conditions in some trades as discouraging people.

Employers noted bakers have early start times, boat-builders sometimes have to work with unpleasant chemicals and hairdressers are often not well paid.