Current Nagambie Labour Market

With the surging growth in economic activity in Nagambie; Australia wide skills shortage and low unemployment, local businesses are experiencing difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff. Across the board, businesses are experiencing challenges in recruiting staff. The key reasons cited by businesses were the shortage or lack of skilled and professional workers (29% of responses) followed by lack of applicants (24.1%), rural location (15.5%) and wages and conditions (12.1%). Covid 19 pandemic was only cited twice as a challenge.

Across the region, businesses had a 12% job vacancy rate (150 positions) with a diverse range of skills required from the unskilled to semi-skilled workers to professionals and managers (see Figure 4.5). Businesses stated vacancies in the ‘other’ category were for unskilled workers (such as cleaners, housekeepers, waiters) and skilled/professional staff (such as cooks, mechanics, marketing and engineers). Large multi-industry businesses are experiencing the highest job vacancies (25%) followed by equine (14%), professional services (13%) then accommodation (11%) and hospitality (10%).

4.6: Nagambie’s Labour Market Challenge

4.5: Job Vacancies by Occupation

Filling job vacancies means changes to recruitment and retention practices of local businesses and looking at collaborative regional efforts (See Figure 4.6). Currently, Nagambie businesses focus on recruiting locally through word of mouth (27.7%) followed by people approaching the business (18.1%) then social media (15%) and on-line sites (14.4%). Only two businesses connected with schools or TAFE to recruit employees. Businesses also reported being unable to attract people from outside the region to jobs. Of particular concern was the limited success in recruiting specialist and/or technical skills such as engineers, winemakers, chefs and managers.

Local businesses reported the major reasons staff moved jobs was for better wages and conditions (27.3%) followed staff relocating (16.4%), their career opportunity (14.6%) and personal and family circumstance (14.6%).

The current jobs challenge gives opportunity to support local young people to start their career as technicians and trades, administration and machinery operators. The high vacancies in managers may result from local businesses not being as competitive in the Victorian labour market and local businesses not being able grow and retain local talent or articulate a regional career pathway.