582 opportunities lost: Jobs ‘unfilled’

By John Van Klaveren
GEELONG is short 582 skilled workers, according to a council survey.
The survey said employers reported difficulty in filling 235 jobs this year and expected another 347 positions to be unfilled next year.
Almost half the vacancies were in the health care and social assistance industry sector.
Doctors, nurses and carers were in high demand, along with taxi drivers, the survey revealed.
The survey of 1400 businesses covered the five municipalities in the region’s G21 Alliance grouping.
The survey aimed to develop a better understanding of the range and extent of skill shortages that employers had or expected difficulty in filling.
The positions included full-time and part-time positions for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled occupations.
The professional sector accounted for 33 per cent of the 235 existing skill shortages, the survey said. Technical and trades accounted for 26 per cent and the community and personal service sector had a 14 per cent shortage.
Transport, postal and warehousing, manufacturing and retail also suffered shortages.
Designers, engineers, drivers, mechanics, constructions workers and ICT technicians were also in demand.
Businesses were also after human resource and marketing professionals.
Council economic development portfolio holder Rod Macdonald said the lack of skilled workers was stunting the growth of Geelong businesses.
“It means businesses are outsourcing to Melbourne or turning away work because of the skill shortages.
“Unemployment is at one of its historic lows but there’s still a significant gap between business needs and what is being delivered.
“What we’re seeing is that there haven’t been enough people trained up in the emerging sectors.”