LABOR SUPPLY – AUSTRALIA

Australia does not have enough tradies to fulfill Labor’s housing promise, experts say

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Original article by Luca Ittimani
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 15-Apr-25

About 170,000 new homes are currently built nationwide every year, but Labor aims to lift this to 250,000 annually for the next four years it wins the federal election on 3 May. However, the Housing Industry Association’s chief economist Tim Reardon contends that labour constraints within the construction industry means that the nation currently has the capacity to build 200,000 to 220,000 new homes each year. The HIA estimates that an additional 80,000 tradespeople are required nationwide. Reardon notes that many ‘tradies’ are opting to move to industries such as mining, while many school leavers are rejecting a career in the construction sector.

CORPORATES
HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Big projects putting home target at risk

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 9-Nov-23

Property developers and builders have warned that the pipeline of publicly-funded infrastructure projects will make it hard to achieve the federal government’s revised target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029. This target is already uncertain, given that the number of housing starts fell to just 40,720 in the June quarter, which is its lowest level in a decade. Master Builders ACT CEO Michael Hopkins notes that the house construction sector is competing with infrastructure projects for the limited supply of labour. He adds that the construction sector will require an additional 500,000 workers nationwide by November 2026, including 7,000 in the ACT.

CORPORATES
MASTER BUILDERS’ CONSTRUCTION AND HOUSING ASSOCIATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Work Aussies won’t do: market mismatches

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 8-Feb-21

The federal government has convened an inquiry into Australia’s skilled migrant program, to be headed by the Liberal Party’s Julian Leeser. One aspect of the program it will look at is whether any adjustments are needed in the light of the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work. The inquiry comes as employers say they are struggling to find Australians who are willing to do certain jobs; it has been suggested that visas for overseas workers should be rolled over so that they do not have to return to their own country when their visa expires. Welfare programs such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker are also seen as a constraint on employment by some employers.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Mining wages hit boom-time highs

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 15-Jul-19

Research by BDO Remsmart shows that wages for a number of jobs in the mining sector have risen above the peaks seen during the last resources boom. Western Australia in particular is seeing a surge in mining industry wages, as BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group invest in new iron ore mines. Factors such as stricter rules on the use of foreign labour, declining enrolments in university mining courses and investment in new infrastructure projects on the east coast are also putting upward pressure on wages. The demand for staff has prompted some mining companies to hire WA School of Mines students up to 18 months before they graduate.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BDO REMSMART, CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY. SCHOOL OF MINES

Skills shortage hits a third of employers

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 5-Jul-18

Some 34 per cent of Australian businesses have reported a shortage of skilled labour in a Manpower Group survey. This compares with 38 per cent in 2016 and 54 per cent in 2011. Richard Fischer of Manpower notes that Australian employers have been actively investing in staff training and upskilling in the wake of the global financial crisis. The survey also shows that companies are looking at options such as flexible working arrangements and greater use of temporary workers and freelancers.

CORPORATES
MANPOWER INCORPORATED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Resurgent miners see tighter labour market

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 21 : 13-Sep-17

The number of mining-related job vacancies in Australia is almost 40 per cent higher than 12 months ago, according to new data from DFP Recruitment Services. Job vacancies for engineers have risen by 78.5 per cent in the last year, after a sharp slump in demand for such professionals following the mining industry downturn. Meanwhile, job vacancies in Western Australia’s iron ore sector have risen by 57 per cent. Mining executives note that some staff are being poached, particularly those with specialists skills.

CORPORATES
DFP RECRUITMENT SERVICES PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, INDEPENDENCE GROUP NL – ASX IGO, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, BIS INDUSTRIES LIMITED

Morrison says lower backpacker tax is competitive

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 29-Sep-16

Treasurer Scott Morrison has rejected criticism of the tax treatment of non-resident income. Faced with opposition from tourism operators and farmers to the original proposal of a 32.5 per cent backpackers tax rate, the Government has reduced it to 19 per cent. However, at the same time it has proposed raising the passenger departure tax by $A5. Morrison said the new tax will not make Australia less attractive to backpackers than New Zealand, the UK and Canada.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Government revisits ‘backpacker tax’

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Original article by Jamie Freed
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Mar-16

Tourism and International Education Minister Richard Colbeck says the Australian Government may reconsider elements of its proposed tax on people who hold working holiday visas. The so-called ‘backpacker tax’ is slated to take effect on 1 July 2016, and will abolish the tax-free threshold for temporary workers. Colbeck has conceded that changes may be necessary to avoid a shortage of staff in sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TOURISM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TTF AUSTRALIA LIMITED TOURISM AND TRANSPORT FORUM, NORTHERN TERRITORY. DEPT OF THE CHIEF MINISTER, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Tourism jobs outlook sparks visa debate

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 5-Nov-15

Deloitte Access Economics states in a report written for Austrade that the tourism industry will experience a shortage of 38,000 workers if no appropriate measures are taken to alleviate it. More than 120,000 extra workers will be needed by the end of the decade. Martin Ferguson, the chairman of Tourism Accommodation Australia, has called for changes to visa rules that would make it easier for foreigners to apply for working-holiday visas.

CORPORATES
TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRADE, TTF AUSTRALIA LIMITED TOURISM AND TRANSPORT FORUM, ACTU

Labour shortage to hit economy by 2030

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 4-Aug-14

The Boston Consulting Group has issued its new "Global Workforce: $10 trillion at risk" report, which looks at 25 nations. It predicts that in Australia there will be an under-supply of some 2.3 million workers by 2030, based on an average labour growth rate of just 1.03% per annum until 2020. This will combine with continuing GDP growth of around 3% per year due to Australia’s wealth of natural resources. Boosts are needed to labour productivity, workforce participation, and investment in technology and innovation

CORPORATES
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP INCORPORATED