MORE than a quarter of businesses are having difficulty finding suitable staff, according to survey results released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
ABS head of industry statistics John Shepherd said the latest Business Conditions and Sentiments Survey, conducted from June 9 to 16, showed there were several reasons why employers were struggling to find suitable staff to fill jobs.
“The most frequently reported reason was a lack of applicants (74 per cent), followed by applicants not having the required skills (66 per cent), international border closures (32 per cent) and job location (29 per cent),” he said.
“Businesses reported having difficulty finding suitable hospitality workers, sales staff, engineering and science professionals and drivers.
“Other in-demand jobs included building trades and business professionals,” Mr Shepherd said.
Mildura Regional Development chief executive Brett Millington said he had received reports that “the same difficulties are being experienced locally”.
Regional jobs boost
THE unemployment rate in regional Victoria was the lowest recorded in the nation at 4.3 per cent in the three months to May, new ABS data reveals.
It dropped 0.4 per cent during the quarter and is sitting below the national regional average of 4.9 per cent.
In more welcome news, nearly 8000 people found a job in regional Victoria in the May quarter.
