Council & Business
14 December, 2023
Survey for staffing challenges
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has asked local businesses to participate in the Business and Industry Staff Recruitment Retention Survey, to further understand local staffing challenges. The survey will help council better understand the...
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has asked local businesses to participate in the Business and Industry Staff Recruitment Retention Survey, to further understand local staffing challenges.
The survey will help council better understand the issues businesses face in staff recruitment and retention and will highlight any significant changes compared to when last year’s Recruitment and Retention of Staff survey was undertaken.
Central Goldfield Shire mayorLiesbeth Long said the 250 businesses who have been asked to complete the survey can give vital insight to help council further understand the issue.
“It will help us better understand how we can deliver education that gains knowledge and skills to prepare school leavers in the shire for future local employment,” Cr Long said.
“It will also focus on providing additional data including skill specific shortages and alternate educational courses that match the Triggering Innovation Leadership Transformation (TILT) initiative.
“One of these initiatives is the establishment of a learning hub in Maryborough to provide education to employment pathways for school leavers as well as the potential for skills training for local industries and businesses.”
TILT is a workshop framework run by The Australian National University, La Trobe University and Fraunhofer Institute (Germany) to promote different education pathways post secondary school.
Council’s economic development officer Brian Gould said that council has taken its findings from last survey on board.
“The last survey told us that the main problem most local businesses are facing is not just struggling to get skilled workers, but trying to keep them around,” Mr Gould said.
“Knowing that allows us to focus on the issue and get the attention of state and federal governments as this is a problem not just facing Maryborough, but a lot of regional towns in Victoria.”
Sonac managing director Simon Cox said that factors such as lack of housing and public transport is hurting local businesses ability to attract and keep staff.
“Failure to retain staff is a forgotten cost. By the time you go through the interview process and getting them settled and the amount of effort it takes that could be going into other parts of the business, it adds up,” he said.
“It is much better to train up a local worker that already has the basic skills and is settled, then hire a person who has to leave after six months because of the hurdles we face.
“As soon as someone is offered a similar job that is five minutes away instead of 30, they leave and you are back to square one.”
Last years’ survey saw a 25 percent participation rate from local businesses. Mr Gould said he is hopeful that even more opinions and ideas can come out of this survey.
“If you are thinking that you will need to hire a member of staff in the next 10 years, then you should participate in this survey,” he said.
“This will help shape the next decade on how we will aim to upskill our workforce to meet current local demand in a way that suits local business.”
Business owners and managers are encouraged to respond to the 15 minute survey between now and the end of 2023. Responding is voluntary, participant responses will remain anonymous and will be given a copy of the survey’s findings.
The survey can be found at engage.cgoldshire.vic.gov.au/businesssurvey