Where young people can find work: The five industries in Australia in need of more workers

FIVE Australian industries are looking for young workers to meet current and looming skill shortages — and there’s little to no experience required.

There are plenty of young people needed in sales roles. Picture: istock

SALES, care, agriculture, hospitality and trades are five industries in need of young and inexperienced workers to meet current and looming skill shortages — or just keep the economy ticking over.

Combined they are forecast to have hundreds of thousands of jobs becoming vacant in the next five years which jobseekers could walk into once they have finished school.

Employment Department figures show caring — whether in aged, disabled or child care — is forecast to have 100,000 jobs created in the five years to 2021, while sales is expected to have about 90,000 roles for sales assistants and salespersons alone in the same period.

Meanwhile agriculture cannot get enough local workers to fill jobs, trades suffer from skill shortages and hospitality is tipped for growth and already employs the greatest proportion of young workers.

Retail, hospitality and agriculture have the nation’s three lowest-skilled workforces as 50 per cent or more do not have a qualification beyond high school, while no experience is required to start an apprenticeship.

There are plenty of jobs going in the hospitality industry in Australia.

While care requires a qualification to stay employed, SkillsIQ chief executive Yasmin King said there were “plenty of jobs” in service industries such as healthcare and the certificates to study could be gained at school or within six months of finishing.

“Just because there’s demand, doesn’t mean they’ll give you a job. You’ve got to have some basic characteristics before these employers will give you an opportunity,” she said.

“You need a really high emotional intelligence because you’re dealing with people and need to have that ability to be able to relate to people and understand their needs.

The care industry is also growing. Pictured here is Jean-Pierre Terreux from Southern Cross Care at Myrtle Bank with resident Mary Marshall. Picture: Calum Robertson

“A lot of these jobs are the beginning of the pathway, ‘the assistant to...’ and it’s a really good stepping stone to go on in the sector, get an understanding and get yourself exposed to it.”

National Farmers Federation workplace relations junior manager Sarah McKinnon said agriculture had long suffered from a chronic labour shortage — a key reason why it relied on 40,000 backpackers for casual jobs each year.

“The reason why we’re so heavily reliant on them is we can’t fill that demand from the local workforce,” she said.

Mitchell Baird, 19, is a third-year apprentice carpenter in the construction industry where there’s lots of work.

“Anybody who wants a job on a farm and actually wants to come and do work, not just tick a box, will get this work.

“Two-thirds of farmers are always finding it hard to find people.”

Mitchell Baird, 19, sees a bright future in the construction industry, hoping to be his own boss one day.

His adeptness for his chosen vocation already has seen him recognised with an entry into the national WorldSkills’ carpentry competition next month.

At the competition, Mr Baird will have 18 hours across three days to build one segment of a seven-segment gazebo.

“I’ve done roofing and stuff at work but nothing that complex,” he said.

“When I go to training (once a week) it’s pretty full on. I go to TAFE and stay there until about 10pm at night.

“I’m hoping to do my builder’s course next year, which is a certificate IV, then hopefully somewhere down the track have my own company.”

Australian employers so far have pledged 7607 jobs in 18 days for first-time jobseekers to the 5000 Jobs in 50 days campaign.

Do you have a job for a first-time jobseeker? Email [e-mail] and join our 5000 jobs in 50 days campaign.

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TOP 5 INDUSTRIES NEEDING YOUNG STAFF

Hospitality

The accommodation and food services sector employs the greatest proportion of young workers of any industry, with 44 per cent of staff aged 15 to 24 years.

There are 37,000 new jobs for hospitality workers forecast in the five years to November, 2020.

Sales

Sales has a high proportion of young workers with 40 per cent aged 15 to 24.

In the five years to November, 2020, the Employment Department forecasts 104,900 new jobs to be created for sales workers – 90,000 of them just for sales assistants and salespersons.

Care

There are 111,800 new jobs for carers and aides forecast in the five years to November, 2020.

The proportion of staff employed as carers or aides aged 24 and under is small, at only 16 per cent, compared with 43 per cent aged 45 years and over, meaning younger workers need to start considering it as a career.

Agriculture

Only 9 per cent of workers in agriculture are aged 24 years and under and more than half (58 per cent) are aged 45 years and over.

The National Farmers Federation reports 5-8 per cent jobs growth in picking jobs to 2020. Jobs growth sector-wide already is occurring in Victoria and South Australia where employment increased by about 20 per cent in the past five years.

Trades

Trades occupations make up 42 out of the 183 jobs listed on the Federal Government’s Skilled Occupation List.

Shortages exist across construction, automotive, engineering, electrical and food trades, and 95,900 new jobs for tradespeople are forecast to be created by 2021.

Originally published as Where young people can find work: The five industries in Australia in need of more workers