Struggling to fill roles? You’re not alone

A new survey shows that 41% of Australian employers are having trouble finding the right candidates for the job. Find out which roles are the hardest to fill.

BY Janie Smith 01 Jun 2014

Are you struggling to find job candidates with the right skills? If the answer is yes, then you’re part of the 41% of Australian employers having the same trouble, according to ManpowerGroup’s global Talent Shortage Survey.

ManpowerGroup Australia and New Zealand managing director Lincoln Crawley said the fact that so many employers were having trouble finding the right candidates for roles despite unemployment sitting at 5.8 per cent reflected the complexity of the employment landscape.

“[It’s] what we call the ‘talent mismatch’, where the skills available aren't the same as the ones needed by employers. Although we’ve seen the resources boom come off the boil, a shift in infrastructure developments across the country is seeing demand for specialist engineers and skilled trade workers be sustained.”

However, the survey results showed a softening of the labour market, with the percentage of employers struggling to fill roles falling from 50% in 2012, to 45% in 2013 and 41% this year, bringing it closer to the worldwide average of 36%.

The top three toughest jobs to fill remained the same in 2013 and 2014, with skilled trades topping the list, followed by engineers and sales representatives.

IT staff came in at number six and Crawley said the number of roles around the integration of mobile application, solutions and cloud computing was rapidly increasing, while the need for on-site network engineers waned.

“The fact that companies are citing a lack of skills or experience as a reason for talent shortages should be a wake-up call for organisations, education, government and individuals.

“It is crucial that these stakeholders work together to address the supply-and-demand imbalance in the labour market in a systematic, agile and sustainable way.”

Percentage of employers internationally struggling to fill roles

Japan – 81%
Peru – 67%
India – 64%
Argentina, Brazil, Turkey – 63%

International employers least likely to fact talent shortages

Singapore – 10%
South Africa – 8%
Netherlands – 5%
Spain – 3%
Ireland – 2%
Top 10 toughest jobs to fill in Australia in 2014