According to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Skilled Vacancy Index, openings in the printing trade fell 10.2% in July.
But looking back at the historic data shows that the printing trades index has fallen to its lowest point since records began in April 1982.
According to DEEWR’s seasonally adjusted and trended data, monthly printing vacancies regularly numbered in the hundreds throughout the ’80s, and only fell below 10 for the first time in May this year.
Vacancies for July 2010 were down 30% on July 2009, and down 80.5% on July 2008.
Meanwhile, a new survey of manufacturing chief executives, including printers, has predicted major skill shortages in the coming years.
The report, jointly compiled by the Australian Industry Group and Deloitte, surveyed more than 400 chief executives in the manufacturing, services and construction sectors and was conducted in May 2010.
More than one-third of companies surveyed believed there is a high to extreme risk of skills shortages negatively impacting on the operation of their business this year.
The level of concern among those surveyed grew to more than half when asked to forecast into 2015.
“While skills shortages have never totally gone away, they are set to intensify with a vengeance and are arguably the number one threat to our economic growth,” said AI Group chief executive Heather Ridout.
The survey identified manufacturing, construction and engineering as industries that face intensifying skills shortages.
“These occupations are based on skills that have a long development lead time, are in high use across the economy and whose absence puts industry at high risk,” added Ridout.
Some 39% of the industry considers managing the skills shortage a high priority and something that should be tackled by both business and government.
According to the report, industry is already addressing the issue by putting a renewed focus on up-skilling their existing workforce.
Ridout called for the federal government to address the skills shortage through policy.
Gerhard Vorster, regional managing partner at Deloitte Consulting Asia Pacific, said: “Despite the lack of talent, standing still is not an option. Chief executives committed to driving growth need to win the race for talent or risk being overtaken by the competition.”
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