Author: Tony Roberts

Australia’s buoyant mining sector looks set to grow jobs and economic prosperity for the long-term. A new report from the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) reveals record mining investment totalling nearly $232 billion. Woodside Petroleum CEO Peter Coleman says “ More skilled workers must go west ” if Australia is to keep pace with the growing Asian demand for resources”. The retirement of the baby boomer generation is leaving huge skill gaps in Australia. In a recent KPMG survey on skilled migration 28% of business said they were feeling the effects of baby boomers departing the workforce. It is noted that shortages are already spreading to semi-skilled professions such as care givers and truck drivers.

How & When will that effect the Tasmanian workforce ?

The need to train and employ apprentices in the traditional trades has never been more evident. Skills shortage in Tasmania is likely to worsen over the next decade as the working population progressively dwindles and more people move from the state to address the skills shortage in the mining industry. All trades will feel the result as staff leave for financial rewards the mining industry can offer and for job security in the current economic climate.

A friend recently asked me to look around the trades and inform him if I knew of any small businesses where the owner was under 50 years of age. I could see his point as I reported that most of the proprietors I knew are 50 or over. Is a succession plan in place for these businesses? Who will purchase the business in the future? Is there anyone with the necessary skills coming through to be able to manage a business successfully? Who can answer these questions?

It’s a sure bet that the businesses who employ trainees & apprentices are employing the future of their industry and may not need to rely on recruiting offshore to satisfy their future skill needs.

Do we have a problem? if so what can we do about it?