After the past two years of financial turmoil, businesses are daring to look forward and plan for a return to normal in Australia.
We need to grow the size of the pie to help industries get back on their feet, and to do this we need more skilled Australians, more migrant workers and more people coming back into the workforce. Over 25% of businesses are having difficulty finding staff, and they need support from the government. Here’s what’s needed from our country’s leaders to create a better Australia for businesses.
The Completing Apprenticeship Commencements program offers financial aid to businesses retaining trade apprentices into their second year. It’s at risk of ending, and we need to keep it running to help retain skilled talent.
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The Completing Apprenticeship Commencements program offers financial aid to businesses retaining trade apprentices into their second year. It’s at risk of ending, and we need to keep it running to help retain skilled talent.
Keeping apprentices long-term is an ongoing cost for businesses.
The second-year apprentice wage support needs to stay, aiding businesses in retaining trade apprentices with a 15% wage subsidy.
This helps retain skilled talent with higher productivity for the Australian workforce.
Investing in our apprentices means investing in our country’s workforce. It’s not good enough to just get apprentices in - we want them to stay in program, becoming a valuable asset to the business and the community. However, supporting apprentices until they become skilled enough to make a positive contribution is a financial burden for struggling businesses and this modest level of second-year funding will deliver a great return on investment.
Setting incentives at a wage subsidy of 30% for first-year apprentices, 15% for second-year trade apprentices and 30% for trainees for six months will see apprentice levels continue to grow. Any less and the numbers will again plummet and many young people will miss out on valuable entry-level opportunities to become skilled and have a well-paid career.
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To get Australia back its bustling, vibrant economy, we need to first look inward. Getting school leavers and career-changers into programs that'll help them become skilled and upskill is vital to populate industries left barren post-pandemic.
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To get Australia back its bustling, vibrant economy, we need to first look inward. Getting school leavers and career-changers into programs that'll help them become skilled and upskill is vital to populate industries left barren post-pandemic.
There are plenty of jobs in Australia, but not enough workers with a skill match.
We need to increase skilled talent by ensuring funding for an additional 400,000 vocational education and training students each year.
This will fill job gaps in the market and help get our economy back where it needs to be.
To get Australia back its bustling, vibrant economy, we need to first look inward. Getting school leavers and career-changers into programs that'll help them become skilled and upskill is vital to populate industries left barren post-pandemic. We also need to ensure those looking to study are informed of opportunities in the labour market to ensure that post-graduation they’re not disappointed by their job outcomes. This will help secure the productivity benefit from an investment in training, helping to effectively harness the Australian workforce.
In order to do this, we need to future-proof not just Australia’s funnel of skilled talent, but also our vocational education and training systems. Providing increased funding that ensures an additional 400,000 supported vocational students at a minimum per annum will ensure gaps in the market are filled consistently to keep the economy thriving. Getting this achieved over the next three years will increase productivity across the board and get Australia back on the global stage, but we need the Federal government to work with the State and Territory governments to get the job done.
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In 2020-21, Australia’s net migration was negative for the first time since 1946. We need to make Australia an attractive option for temporary skilled migrants again to help restore our vital industries affected by labour shortages.
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In 2020-21, Australia’s net migration was negative for the first time since 1946. We need to make Australia an attractive option for temporary skilled migrants again to help restore our vital industries affected by labour shortages.
In 2020-21, Australia’s net migration was negative for the first time since 1946, which has exacerbated the already acute skills and labour shortages.
The complexity and cost of our migration program needs to be cut and the number of permanent skilled migrants increased to 200,000 for the next two years.
Australia will be an attractive option for skilled migrants, international students and working holidaymakers, helping to restore our vital industries.
For the first time since 1946, Australia recorded a drop of 71% in immigration and 25% in emigration, resulting in a net loss of 88,000 overseas migrants according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Without these skilled international workers, we are facing shortages across every industry, with supply chain disruptions and hospitality venues scraping by on skeleton staff.
We need to urgently restore Australia’s migration program by improving its accessibility and responsiveness, including the need to allow employers to sponsor migrants in any skilled occupation. Cutting complex visa processes and costs will once again make Australia an attractive option for temporary skilled migrants, international students and working holidaymakers.
In addition, increasing the number of permanent skilled migrants to 200,000 over the next two years is paramount to restoring Australia’s vital industries. According to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), skilled migrants have lower unemployment rates and high labour-force participation rates, making them a valuable contribution to our economy. Not just increasing the number of taxpayers, this helps boost spending in areas like housing, retail and tourism.
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Taking on a beginner apprentice with no experience is an expense many a business can’t afford. To help more Aussies acquire new skills and keep jobs in the country, our government needs to offer meaningful incentives for businesses to take on trainees.
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Taking on a beginner apprentice with no experience is an expense many a business can’t afford. To help more Aussies acquire new skills and keep jobs in the country, our government needs to offer meaningful incentives for businesses to take on trainees.
Even in good economic times, taking on an inexperienced person who is only just commencing their training makes employing an apprentice an expense many businesses can't afford.
Locking in long-term investment in apprenticeships with wage subsidies at a new level of 30% for 12 months for trade apprenticeships and six months for one-year traineeships.
This will help more Australians get into the workforce, acquire skills and keep jobs in Australia to support our economy.
Australia’s apprentices and trainees are our country’s future. We need to support the businesses that give them valuable skills and experience by continuing an apprenticeship employer incentive program that covers all apprentices and trainees. A wage subsidy of 30% will help ease some of the financial pressure businesses face when taking on an apprentice by supporting them for 12 months for long-term trade apprentices and 6 months for 1-year traineeships.
This subsidy should not be just for a narrow range of apprentices and trainees that the government deems to support but it should cover all industries. Apprenticeships and traineeships are a valuable combination of a national qualification and paid work. Australia can’t afford to see apprentice numbers go backwards again - we need to implement policies that will make a difference.
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