South Australian automotive businesses are more willing to engage skilled migrants to fill positions, as the shortage of qualified tradespeople continues to impact their ability to fill vacancies with locals, according to a recent survey.
The seventh annual Motor Trade Association of South Australia Skills Survey indicated that 34% of respondents are now in favour of sourcing qualified tradespeople from overseas in order to meet the current demand, compared with only 25% in 2011. Importantly, only 28% of respondents are opposed to skilled migration, compared to more than 50% in 2011 and 2010.
MTA chief executive officer, John Chapman, believes that the substantial shift in opinion is a result of continued difficulties in securing qualified employees from the local workforce.
“The industry’s dramatic attitude change towards employing qualified tradespeople from overseas is due largely to the difficulties faced by the retail automotive industry in securing skilled tradespeople locally,” Chapman says.
“Consequently, the industry has little alternative than to look offshore, as at present, businesses are doing all they can to keep their current skilled workers, with minimal success as the mining industry continues to grow and demand more automotive professionals,” Chapman says.
The MTA is the largest employer of automotive apprentices in the state with more than 500 young people hosted at employers across South Australia.
Further survey results indicate that 94% of respondents are paying over award rates and benefits to tradespeople in an attempt to secure and retain their services, while 34% are also paying their apprentices above the award.
“It is no secret that higher wages and greater benefits will encourage more tradespeople to remain within the retail automotive trade, rather than moving into other industries such as mining,” Chapman says.
“The MTA believes that there needs to be an increase in government support, in particular towards apprenticeships, to encourage more local individuals to enter the automotive industry,” he says.
The survey results reiterate one of the most fundamental challenges of the retail motor industry today, convincing consumers that higher service charges are essential if they are to continue to have their vehicles maintained and repaired in a timely, professional and safe manner.
“The automotive industry is already compensating its employees with well above award rates, but seemingly remains uncompetitive in its ability to attract and retain appropriately skilled tradespeople,” Chapman says.
The survey also indicated that almost 90% of the industry expects demand for tradespeople to increase or stay the same over the next five years.
“Our members see the number of vehicles on our roads grow year on year, and as a result, there is an increase in the services required to maintain the state’s vehicle fleet,” Chapman notes.
“This survey highlights that members expect that trend to continue, and that we need to have appropriate supports to secure the number of tradespeople that are needed.”
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