Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences Bibra Lake Presented: April 2009

Cockburn SLA Bibra Lake South West Corridor Bibra Lake

Demographic Profile Source: 2001 Census, 2006 Census Cockburn ESASW CorridorWA Working Age Population (WAP) (2006 Census) % of WAP aged 45 – 64 years (2006 Census) 34.0%37.1% WAP growth (2001 to 2006 Census) 12.5%9.4%7.7%

Labour Force Overview Source: 2006 Census, 2001 Census, DEEWR Small Area Labour Markets, December 2008, ABS Labour Force Survey, February 2009; Centrelink administrative data, December 2008 Cockburn SLASW CorridorWA Employment Growth (2001 to 2006 Census) 20.0%16.2%12.9% Unemployment rate 3.2% (December 2008) 4.0% (February 2009) 4.2% (February 2009) % of WAP on Centrelink payments (Centrelink admin data, Dec 2008; 2006 Census) 13.0%13.1%13.6%

Industry Profile Source: 2001 Census, 2006 Census Proportion of total employment Cockburn SLA (2006 Census) SW Corridor (2006 Census) WA (2006 Census) Cockburn SLA Inter Census Growth (01-06) SW Corridor Inter Census Growth (01-06) Retail Trade 15.1%14.4%14.0%11.4%9.5% Manufacturing 14.3%12.2%9.9%12.9%10.6% Health & Community Services 10.4%10.8%10.4%37.9%25.7% Property & Business Services 9.4%10.8%10.7%18.6%12.1% Construction9.4%8.8%9.0%39.5%44.1%

The survey was conducted in February employers responded, majority in the Retail Trade and Manufacturing Industries 67% of responding businesses had remained the same size over the 3 months prior to the survey 15% had increased staff numbers 18% had decreased staff numbers Bibra Lake – Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

54% of employers had recruited or attempted to recruit 28% solely due to turnover 35% solely due to growth 37% due to both turnover and growth 2% (or 15) of 636 vacancies remained unfilled 8% of employers reported one or more unfilled vacancies Recruitment Experiences – 12 months prior to survey Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

53% of recruiting employers reported recruitment was difficult Reasons for difficulty: Lack of applicants Lack of skilled applicants Wages not competitive Competition with mining sector 23% of employers said public transport was a problem for attracting and retaining staff Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009 Recruitment Experiences – 12 months prior to survey

75% of filled vacancies were filled with local job seekers 21% of recruiting employers had employed staff from overseas 48% through an employer sponsored visa 44% of employers had vacancies that they were not able to fill on the first attempt Recruitment Experiences – 12 months prior to survey Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Success filling recent vacancies Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Why job seekers needed development Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Recruitment methods used Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Competition for recent vacancies Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Reasons applicants were unsuitable Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Employability skills - what were employers looking for? Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Employer emphasis on personality traits/technical skills when filling recent vacancies Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Reasons recruitment was difficult – most recent vacancy Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Difficult to fill occupations Structural Steel and Welding Tradespersons Sales Assistants Metal Fitters and Machinists Electricians Cabinetmakers General Clerks Storepersons Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

50% of recruiting employers had retention strategies. Retention strategies most commonly reported were: Increasing wages Providing flexible hours Providing development and training Retention strategies Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Apprentices and trainees 25% of employers currently had an apprentice or trainee in their business 16% of employers will recruit an apprentice or trainee 21% of employers expect to take on fewer apprentices or trainees in 12 months following the survey Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Provision of staff training Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Factors influencing choice of training provider Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

25% of employers expect to recruit in the 12 months following the survey 43% of this recruitment is anticipated to occur in the next 3 months 61% anticipate employment growth, in 12 months following survey 41% anticipate replacing staff, in the 12 months following the survey 72% of employers surveyed anticipated that recruitment will become easier in the 12 months following the survey due to an increase in the number of applicants Recruitment Expectations –12 months following the survey Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Recruitment Expectations –12 months following the survey 17% of employers surveyed were uncertain about recruitment in the 12 months following the survey. The most common concerns were: a fall in demand for their products and/or services pressure on business cash flow and/or finance 10% of employers surveyed expected to reduce staff numbers in the 12 months following the survey Most common reductions in Sales Assistant roles Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Business Challenges – 12 months following the survey 57% of employers surveyed didn’t expect to encounter any business challenges in the 12 months following the survey The most common challenges identified were: Changes in the structure of the market Reduced business activity Keeping existing customers Cash flow Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009

Summary Overall, employers reported: Very low proportion of unfilled vacancies Lower than average recruitment difficulty An emphasis on the soft skills of applicants High numbers of applicants Low recruitment expectations Anticipated ease in difficulty recruiting Source: DEEWR, Bibra Lake Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, February 2009