LGNSW election priority focus: Skills and Labour Shortages
Councils and communities across NSW are suffering from the impacts of skills and labour shortages, which slow economic recovery and hamper productivity.
Demand for skills and labour often exceeds supply, driving up costs and delaying investment. Where councils are not able to attract and retain appropriately skilled workers, they struggle to deliver the range and level of services their communities expect.
The 2022 Local Government Workforce Skills and Capability Survey NSW Report, one of a suite of reports commissioned by the Federal Government, confirms longstanding constraints that continue to impede progress on workforce development.
This includes skills shortages in multiple occupations that have been exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of climate change and the accelerated take-up of technology. Accessing training opportunities to enhance workforce skills and capability remains challenging, particularly in regional and rural communities.
Employee attrition and an ageing workforce are ongoing and escalating difficulties.
With over 91% of respondent councils in NSW reporting skills shortages in 2021-22, the Survey notes shortages of engineers, urban and town planners, building surveyors and project managers to be most common. Shortages of these occupations, along with water treatment operators, accountants, computing and ICT professionals and mechanical tradespersons are cited as being critical in the future.
Unmet training needs were reported by 70% of responding councils, particularly in the areas of leadership and management, supervisor training, change management and job-specific training in water operations, chainsaw and chemical courses, among others. Face-to-face training and blended learning were the preferred modes of training with no council supporting virtual delivery or self-paced only.
The Survey also found that councils are having difficulties in securing the right skills to support local service provision, which is affecting not only local government’s productivity, but also the productivity of host localities and regions. Two-thirds of councils in NSW reported that vacancies, skills shortages, skills gaps or training needs have impacted or delayed project delivery.
For these reasons, and supported by multiple Annual Conference resolutions over many years, LGNSW is calling for all candidates and parties to commit to:
- Investing in training to support para-professional, trades and entry-level pathways to employment in local government and to upskilling councils’ workforces in response to new and emerging jobs and work.
- Allowing for greater flexibility/overcoming barriers to accreditation/registration of professional and trades employees.
- Ensuring all areas of need have equitable access to VET and tertiary courses and educational institutions – including face-to-face training.
- Driving local economic recovery through initiatives to address labour shortages impacting primary producers, businesses and councils across NSW.
- Committing to incentives (such as scholarships, cadetships, wage subsidies) to address critical local government skills shortages.
Download LGNSW’s 2023 State Election Priorities
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