Australia would face a permanent labour shortage across a number of industry sectors by 2010, according to research released today.
Recruitment giant Drake International claims that the ageing population would see organisations scrambling to maintain productivity levels as they struggled to find people to fill their vacant jobs.
« If you haven’t got the people, you can’t produce the goods, » said Drake’s national marketing manager, Andrew Dingjan.
Mr Dingjan said a recent Drake survey of 475 companies found 66 per cent were already finding it difficult to fill vacant roles. In the skilled trade sector, severe labour shortages were being felt across the automotive, education, health, transport and distribution sectors.
He urged companies to start thinking about how they could create workplaces that were « friendly » to older workers.
« We estimate 85 per cent of all workforce growth will be supplied by people aged 45 plus by 2012, up from 32 per cent in 1992, » Mr Dingjan said. « This is a phenomenal shift in just 20 years demonstrating how fast the population is ageing. »
Mr Dingjan said companies needed to get their heads out of the sand and start planning kicking off with a review of how they catered to existing staff. He recommended companies carry out an age profile of staff and check to see if recruitment and induction programs were age-friendly. Organisations should also look at new ways to develop the skills of employees as they grow older to encourage them to stay at work beyond retirement age.
Louise Rolland, professor of Ageing and Work at Swinburne University in Melbourne advised companies to take a broader look at their work environment to promote non-monetary rewards for staff.
« Wages aren’t the only consideration for employees these days, with research showing that the best paying companies don’t always get the best staff, » said Professor Rolland.
« Flexible work hours, good corporate culture, work/life balance, education programs and child minding facilities are all highly-regarded by candidates, » she said.