Future jobs a poor fit for workers trained in the past
The jobs of the future are already leaving South Australia in the past according to a new report which says a lack of training rather than new tech is shunting our workers to the side. ––
SA News
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Urgent action is needed to ensure SA’s workers are better trained for the jobs of the future and are not left behind amid huge economic change, a new industry report finds.
Latest official figures released last week show SA has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 7.3 per cent, as both the total numbers of workers and new job seekers grow across the state.
BankSA’s latest Trends report, to be released tomorrow, downplays fears that new technologies will destroy job opportunity in the future.
But it stresses the risk of local workers being overlooked for skilled migrants if training trends fall behind.
BankSA chief executive Nick Reade told The Advertiser he feared people who were losing jobs in traditional industries like manufacturing would not be specifically prepared to move into emerging positions.
That then forced employers to look elsewhere as those individual jobseekers struggled to find new opportunities, he said.
“That is already starting to be seen,” Mr Reade said. “I don’t think it’s anywhere near the peak. It’s only at the start.
“There are businesses in Adelaide and across the country that just cannot get enough cyber resources. That is just one relatively narrow area at the moment, but it will grow dramatically in time.”
Mr Reade said both government and the business sector must play a role in skills.
He said industries, such as defence, offered good examples of the challenges in matching skills to jobs, as industry could be late to train a local workforce and then had to quickly move to “bring in” new labour.
“We’ve got a bit of a challenge where ... we certainly need a lot of skilled and qualified workers,” he said.
“The companies that are in that sector won’t really invest until they have the contracts.
“The timing is often considered to be a little late for local workforce planning. Companies then resort to bringing in the talent.
“That’s good to grow our population and has other benefits but it’s no so good from a local workforce perspective, the danger is they miss out on opportunities.”
Migrants to SA can currently apply for visas to fill jobs including public relations, pig farming and advertising.
The unemployment rate is significantly higher for SA men, as women find work in big growth sectors like health and other human services.
Premier Steven Marshall came to office with a promise to create more than 20,000 additional work-based apprenticeships and traineeships over the next four years.
However, latest figures show just 115 new apprentice or traineeships had started in the year to March.
In Question Time today, Mr Marshall talked up the Government’s record on jobs.
“There are just enormous opportunities,” he said.
“There are many young people who are already getting super excited about the opportunities that exist in space.”
He said controversial planned land tax reforms would also drive new investment.
Each day is rewarding, exciting and lively
Daniel Stone is on a mission to change public perceptions of the defence industry.
And the 25-year-old software engineer for defence company Saab said he couldn’t be more excited about the growing opportunities.
“I feel like defence careers often get overlooked because the public believe it’s very rigid and lacking engaging opportunities,” Mr Stone said.
“I really value the long-term career stability and growth opportunities afforded to defence careers in South Australia.”
Mr Stone, who has been in the defence industry for three yeas and holds a computer science degree from the University of South Australia, said he found himself working in “dual worlds”.
In both the real and virtual world, Mr Stone produces new environments for defence and non-defence projects through software engineering.
He said he was motivated by doing something purposeful.
“Knowing that I contribute to the safety and security of the Australian public is something that personally motivates me,” he said.
And when Melissa Weston, an ASC Structural Engineer on the Collins Class Submarine program, was 18 she never imagined working with subs.
Originally interested in joining the air force, the engineering, mechanical and aerospace graduate from Adelaide University started looking to the world of opportunities the defence sector offered quite late in her degree. “I was fascinated by the similarities between my field of study and submarine maintenance,” she said.
Three years on, Ms Weston said her time at ASC was constantly evolving. “My experience and skills are in high demand across Australia and internationally,” she said.
“I have an extremely unique opportunity in the defence industry to play a fundamental role in the security of our nation.” She said the Future Proof Defence Jobs Forum was a worthy event.
- Dixie Sulda