Western Australia (WA) faces a shortage of 488,500 workers across all sectors by 2020, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI).
In an attempt to avoid this shortfall, the CCI wants the government to introduce a population goal for WA.
“The predicted labour shortages will make it difficult (if not impossible) for the WA economy to realise its full potential in the medium to longer term, unless measures are put in place to ensure that the labour force is able to grow in line with future economic activity,” says the CCI.
According to CCI’s forecast, the construction industry in WA will need an extra 130,000 workers, while the mining sector will need to add an extra 69,000 workers. The healthcare industry will face a shortfall of 45,000 workers, which is comparable with the 40,000 that needed for the retail sector.
The CCI is calling for changes to the federal migration program to allow more foreign workers into the country so local companies can recruit them more easily. One of CCI’s recommendations includes the removal of the current skill assessment process from the temporary migration programme.
