The Print & Visual Communication Association (PVCA)’s Industry Skills Report reveals that industry is struggling with labour supply and skills needs across all sectors of the industry. 

Since announcing a commitment to reviewing the vocational training and labour related skills issues facing the industry in late 2022, the PVCA has led an Industry Skills Survey which reported into government early this year.

The study was open to all industry stakeholders and received responses from businesses of all sizes and sectors across Australia.

The PVCA immediately utilised the results in their liaison with government across the apprentices and successfully returning nine apprenticeships training courses back onto the Australian Apprentice Priority Listing (AAPL). However, the association reports, this is only the start of the Industry Skills Review. 

The findings are now being published for members and broader stakeholders to continue discussions and influence across the attraction, retention and training standards for the industry. The results have provided a range of insights and considerations about the industry and its labour needs both now and into the future. 

The report highlights the majority of the industry has various job vacancies open with over 76 per cent of respondents stating they have vacancies within their businesses, with 27 per cent advising those vacancies have been open for over 11 weeks and 40 per cent claiming open vacancies for longer than 15 weeks.

The majority of those open positions (58.14 per cent) are for printing machinist and finisher roles, which require strong technical competency. 

“Whilst pleased to see our apprentices returned to the AAPL, what the research has found is that our members, and broader industry, are seeing the biggest threat to their businesses being across the limited skilled labour supply,” PVCA CEO Kellie Northwood said.

“We need to build an attraction, retention and upskilling program for our industry to revitalise our workforce availability with priority. This is not a one-off quick fix.

“Rather, we are looking at a holistic approach from school-leavers looking for career options, to older workers looking to upskill, engagement of new employment channels, attracting women in to the workforce and working with our existing workforce on strengthening their professional growth within our industry.”

In addition to print finisher (which covers guillotine operators and mailhouse operators) and printing machinist roles (including flexographic, gravure, label, letterpress, lithographic reel and sheet fed machinists and printers), other occupations such as graphic pre-press trades workers, digital printer and printers assistant/offsider are among top professions the print and paper industry is currently trying to fill. 

The report also found that advertised job vacancies via online platforms such as SEEK, CareerOne and LinkedIn reflect longer response times by more than four weeks and from advertisements the applications are minimal.

The majority of respondents, (62 per cent), reported receiving between one to five applicants for advertised roles. Concerningly, the majority of respondents, (>94 per cent), voiced discontent with the skills and experience levels of the majority of applicants, thereby causing more delay in filling the roles.

PVCA said this fits in with many discussions that it has had with industry stakeholders who are advising that they rely on personal networks to find candidates. 

Looking to the future for the industry, the report stated that the majority of printers are viewing a six to 10 year range as a significant time period for their labour requirement needs.

This will be a result of factors such as workforce retirements as well as business growth and diversification goals. This result ties in with the data the PVCA has already developed that evidences the industry has an ageing workforce with the majority of trade and production related employees within the industry aged between 45 and 54 years of age.

It also found that across the next 10 years, there will likely be a growing number of tradespersons looking to retire or shift down their careers. 

“The top line findings evidence our industry has long-term career opportunities waiting for qualified applicants. We are not dissimilar to other trade-based industries who are facing similar issues and therefore, in a race for talent, we need to find our own multi-faceted industry solutions that bring better results than for other industries,” PVCA general manager of IR, policy and governance Charles Watson said.

“It is critical we operate as a unified and collaborative industry that seeks to find options to overcome these labour related challenges that will be increasing over the next decade with a keen focus on who and how we attract a wider talent pool.

“The PVCA is committed to assisting members in building stronger employment programs across these matters throughout the next 12 months and beyond.”  

The Industry Skills Survey is one of a series of surveys that the PVCA has issued over the past six months calling on support from members and the broader industry to ensure industry metrics are rich in compelling data to develop a new focus across the association’s initiatives. 

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