Good help getting harder to find: National employer survey

January 16 2008

Hiring employees is becoming more difficult, particularly for large employers, according to a national employer survey published today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Over 80% of large employers - those employing more than 100 people - reported having some or a lot of difficulty recruiting skilled employees in the past 12 months. In 2005*, 68% of large employers reported they had some or a lot of difficulty in recruiting staff.

NCVER's Survey of Employer Use and Views of the VET System set out to find the various ways employers met their skill needs.

These included hiring skilled employees who already had the desired skills, employing apprentices/trainees or extra training for existing staff.

It found that more than half (54%) of Australian employers used the national vocational education and training (VET) system in the last year, down slightly from 57% in 2005.

Of all employers:

• 33% have jobs that require specific skills or vocational qualifications due to legislative, regulatory or licensing requirements
• 29% employ apprentices or trainees   
• 22% use nationally recognised training as a means of skilling staff because of legislative, regulatory or licensing requirements, providing specific skills required for the job or to maintain professional or industry standard

Satisfaction with the quality of training at TAFE and other training providers remains high - 88% of employers were satisfied with nationally recognised training from private training providers; 85% of employers were satisfied with nationally recognised training provided by TAFE as a way of meeting skill needs.

ENDS

Copies of the Australian vocational education and training statistics: Employers' use and views of the VET system 2007 - Summary, can be accessed from 9.30am AEDT today, from http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1944.html

* See Australian vocational education and training statistics: Employers' use and views of the VET system 2005 - Summary which is available from http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1667.html

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