Aidan Curtis
THE state’s unemployment rate is slowly dropping, but there is still plenty to think about at a local level.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that South Australia’s unemployment rate has fallen to four per cent, down a percentage point from the state election in March.
State Treasurer Stephen Mullighan called the stats “encouraging“ and said it is a sign the economy is performing well.
“We are particularly pleased to see youth employment at its highest level in more than 20 years,“ he said.
“But there’s still more to do.“
Despite the positive outlook on jobs, there are still challenges facing employers at a grassroots level.
Group Training Employment general manager Greg Megaw said record numbers of apprentices and trainees in the Limestone Coast is some years off completely filling the gap in skills shortages.
“We are still seeing lots of vacancies come up for job opportunities for which, sometimes, we have had trouble filling,“ he said.
“I think some of the reason may be that many companies are having trouble accessing qualified tradesmen.
“They are trying to fill those labour shortage gaps as much as possible with apprentices and trainees wherever they can.“
Mr Megaw said Covid has exacerbated employment issues in the areas, restricting the number of skilled migrants coming into the region to fill gaps.
“Over the years, we’ve had some great representation from the migrant communities with regard to some of the more labour intensive jobs in trades,“ he said.
“There has been, obviously because of Covid, a shortage of new people to the area as far as migrant communities and things.“
SYC Mount Gambier site manager Mandy Standring said gradual changes in the unemployment rate at a state level are rarely felt on the frontline for those seeking work in regional areas.
Ms Standring said while young people in particular are engaging in further training to prepare for employment opportunities, other challenges sometimes get in the way.
“Transport remains the number one challenge for many people seeking employment across regional locations,“ she said.
“We also find that people often experience difficulties accessing work-related training and licenses.“
However, despite the challenges, Ms Standring said there has still been an increase in entry-level opportunities in retail and hospitality for clients in the region.
