Local businesses struggle to find staff as Toowoomba’s unemployment rate jumps

Despite Toowoomba’s rising unemployment rates, business leaders are struggling to fill vacancies across the Garden City and they fear there’s no easy solution. More details:

Solutions to Toowoomba’s spiking unemployment rate could be hampered by the housing crisis as business leaders struggle to fill vacancies.

A new report from Workforce Australia revealed that Toowoomba’s unemployment rate increased by 1.9 per cent over the year to 5.4 per cent, putting the town in the top 10 of the 19 Queensland regions.

The participation rate also saw a 1.5 per cent decrease with the number of employed persons dropping by 2400 people.

The figures are felt by businesses too, with construction services business NRG having ongoing recruitment campaigns to fill vacancies for about 30 trades.

While electricians are the most sought-after and well-known roles in the trades sector, operations managers say there are more hidden roles that need to be filled. Picture: (AAP/ Josh Woning

NRG operations manager Grant McMillan has tried everything from updating job ads, hosting career nights and hiring professional ad and recruitment companies, something the business has never done before.

“It’s probably a lot more miss than hit with applications,” Mr McMillan said.

“Sometimes it’s a challenge to even get a single application especially with those security jobs, it’s extremely difficult to get local guys with those qualifications,” he said.

To address the skills shortfall, NRG has 40 apprentices on site and have partnered with TAFE Queensland to deliver a refrigeration program to school students.

TAFE Queensland manufacturing faculty director Col Batzloff and JRS Manufacturing Group chief operating officer Jasmine Riddle. Picture: Supplied

JRS Manufacturing has also had to be self-sufficient with acquiring skilled workers, with the business relying on its MJRS Skills Academy graduates to fill roles.

“You don’t need to have any industry experience of background, you can be out of a completely different sector, we’ve had people come out of banking to chefs,” JRS chief operations officer Jasmine Riddle said.

While opportunities of upskilling are available, a domino effect from the cost of living and housing crisis have some people concerned the pinch might be too tight if they transition into full-time employment.

Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce executive officer Lucas Wegener said the problem would long term as he and looks to social housing to combat the labour shortfalls.

“(The crises) is just gonna continue to make this situation worse,” Mr Wegener said.

“It’s almost impossible for anybody trying to come to this town to find a rental property or even a property to buy in some cases … I think the solution is opening up more land for development, cut some of that red tape out to get the ball rolling,” he said.