Dealing with labour shortages

85% of (all) Australian businesses are reporting staff shortages while concurrently the unemployment rate for women at 3.8% is the lowest since May 1974.

And ACECQA's National Workforce Strategy (2022-2031) is not anticipated to provide sufficient immediate or short-term relief to what appears to be shortages of skilled educators and degree qualified teachers for the foreseeable future.

For the eary childhood education and care sector, the above presents a very real and present problem as we "live with COVID" and are also expected to continue to be an essential/authorised/critical sector.

Early childhood education and care services are already experiencing inflationary labour costs that ultimately affect fees charged to parents and families. Moreover, such acute competition for particular labour required under Regulation 123 and Regulation 272 for centre-based services in NSW can also have the unintended consequence of a lack of longer-term employment stability at the expense of services and the children under their care.

But services at least in the short term may be able to compete more effectively by using recruitment techniques that professional recruiters use. Hence, ACA NSW is reminding its members and non-members of its Quickies - Recruit Like A Pro training that will be held on:

1. Thursday, 28 April 2022, from 10.00am - 12.00pm via live webinar (Register Here)
2. Wednesday, 29 June 2022, from 10.00am - 12.00pm via live webinar (Register Here)
3. Thursday, 8 September 2022, from 10.00am to 12.00pm via live webinar (Register Here)

In the short-to-medium term, this should assist services.

For any further information/clarification, please contact the ACA NSW team via 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.

NOTE: Although the NSW Productivity Commissioner identified in his Green Paper and White Paper that NSW early childhood education and care services had higher staffing requirements than all other Australian states, the NSW Government has to date not acted on the NSW Productivity Commissioner's recommendation of having a regulatory framework that is fit-for-purpose.

PUBLISHED: 19 APRIL 2022