New figures derived from the federal government’s internet vacancy index, suggests during the month of April 2023, job advertisements jumped 3.6 per cent or 10,100 job advertisements to stand at 294,500 – the figure is 0.7 per cent higher than the same time last year, with Victoria seeing the largest jump. These figures suggest employers are facing greater skills shortages across all sectors of the economy.

To combat the repercussions of skill shortages Kris Grant, CEO of ASPL advises employers to look inwards and invest in their existing workforce to overcome skills gaps. This can include developing skills internally, investing in training, assessing what capabilities they have now, whether they can upskill their existing staff and identify and develop new skills or expertise they will need in the future to grow their organisations.

Additionally, employers can utilise strategic sourcing initiatives including recruiting via social media. Social media has become an increasingly common tool when advertising roles, used by 25 per cent of recruiting employers in 2022.