0039 Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce

Responses

1. Are there additional labour market factors, for which there are national datasets available (ideally aligned to 6-digit ANZSCO occupation level), that are relevant to future refinements to the Departmentʼs analysis and methodology?

What is the frequency of data release?

VACC, as the leading industry association representing the automotive industry, collects labour market data at a detailed level both for Victoria and nationally in partnership with the Motor Trades Associations in each state and territory. This data is in the form of a national survey conducted annually and is aligned with the 6-digit ANZSCO occupations. A key labour market factor is that the vast majority of automotive occupations are not advertised online but rather through word-of-mouth. This is a unique characteristic of the industry which covers both apprenticeship hiring and existing qualified automotive workers. The VACC automotive industry survey captures detailed skill shortages data by occupation and state and can be made available for the Department to inform its skilled migration occupation list.

Automotive occupations are spread out across many industries and are often not separately identified via ABS data as defined through ANZSCO. As such, it is advisable that the Department consult with VACC in determining the scope and breadth of automotive-related labour force data.

2. The Department is also seeking submissions on suitable datasets that are disaggregated by region. Please provide details if you are aware of such a dataset, including whether it is aligned to ANZSCO occupations and how often the dataset is updated.

VACC's industry survey of the automotive industry allows for regional-level data which includes state and territory, metropolitan/non-metropolitan regions, and can be tailored for further disaggregations if necessary. The survey is aligned to ANZSCO occupations and is updated annually.

3. Is there any other advice or evidence that the Department should consider in its review of the methodology?

In its review of its methodology, the Department should consult with VACC when determining skill shortages applicable to automotive occupations. Annually, VACC develops a list of automotive occupational skill shortages based on extensive surveying of automotive employers in partnership with other state and territory Motor Trades Associations. Through this, national and state-level skill shortages that are aligned to the relevant ANZSCO occupations are determined. Due to VACC’s first-hand access to grassroots automotive intelligence, the Department should consider VACC as the prime source of intelligence regarding skill shortages and other labour market information for the automotive industry. Lack of such industry consultation consequently results in flawed policy, as evidenced in the Federal Government’s announcement that vehicle painters will be removed from the skill shortage list despite statistical evidence to the contrary.

It is recommended that the Department consults VACC's report: 'Directions in Australia's Automotive Industry 2017' for a detailed analysis of automotive occupational skill shortages and future projections.

Do you have any supporting material for your submission?

No