Truckies, childcarers top employers’ new jobs wishlist

A demand for truck drivers, childcare workers, mechanics, retail workers, receptionists and sales representatives is driving the ­nation­’s economic recovery.

Michaelia Cash says social restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the ­economy.

A demand for truck drivers, childcare workers, mechanics, retail workers, receptionists and sales representatives is driving the ­nation­’s economic recovery as states and territories roll back social­ restrict­ions to get more Aust­ralians back to work.

Employer data released by the National Skills Commission on Friday reveals that city-based employer­s led the recruitment drive between May 11 and June 5, with 18.7 per cent of the nation’s employers recruiting workers to fill jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NSC figures, based on 2400 interviews with businesses, show 26 per cent of employers were reporting difficulty recruiting workers, down from 38 per cent in early April.

Employment and Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash said social restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic had had a devastating impact on the ­economy. “As restrictions ease, we are starting to see some signs of recover­y across the country,” Senat­or Cash said.

“The data shows businesses are starting to hire again, in many industr­ies and at all skill levels, with the highest number of jobs in demand having no requirement for a formal qualification.

“As restrictions ease, we expect this trend will continue. While Australians, and the economy, have a long way to go in terms of a full economic recovery, this data shows we are on the right path.”

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to release May labour force figures next week, which are expected to show an increase in the unemployment rate from 6.2 per cent.

Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy told a Senate committee this week that the department estim­ated unemployment would reach 8 per cent­ by the end of the month, downgrading previous forecasts it could hit 10 per cent.

“I think the unemployment rate won’t go as high as ­previously thought,” Dr Kennedy said. “I think the rate by September will likely be in the order of 8 per cent. Business and consumer con­fi­d­ence is returning.”

 

The national cabinet’s three-stage road map to unlocking social restrictions is expected to restore up to 850,000 jobs and support $9.3bn in economic activity. So far, more than 844,400 businesses and individuals have had their applications for the government’s $70bn JobKeeper scheme processed by the Australian Taxation Office, supporting 3.5 million employees.

A Treasury review into the scheme, which could change the way it is delivered, is due by the end of the month, with Scott Morrison saying the program would continue until the end of September.

Labor continued to press the government over the future of its JobKeeper scheme on Thursday, seizing on a survey of 2300 board members from the Australian Institute­ of Company Directors showing 81 per cent of respondents preferred a cautious phasing-out of stimulus packages, even at the cost of extra debt.

Opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said Australians “can’t afford for the govern­ment to withdraw that support too quickly or too bluntly”.

The NSC survey concedes ­regional employers were “generally having more difficulty filling their vacancies than those in capital cities” because of geographic constraints. The top occupations employers are struggling to fill are truck drivers, childcare workers and motor mechanics

In the Northern Territory, 50 per cent of employers are recruiting­ workers, followed by 23 per cent in South Australia, 21 per cent in Tasmania, 20 per cent in Queensland, 19 per cent in Victoria and 17 per cent in NSW.

The NSC, run by former Business Council of Australia and Deutsche Bank chief economist Adam Boyton, was endorsed as an independent statutory authority by parliament on Wednesday.

Mr Boyton has been tasked with identifying skills shortages and advising the government on its overhaul of the vocational education and training system.

Senator Cash said the NSC would deliver “critical data on the changing nature of our economy, forecasting where the jobs and skills will be in demand”.

“The skills demand research will be vital (so) governments at all levels can make better decisions,” the minister said.