Nimble News 2 November 2022

Budget 2022-23

Last week's federal Budget included a $1 billion investment in the VET system. It also provided funding for the establishment of Jobs and Skills Australia, a new government agency tasked with bringing together a variety of stakeholders to better identify current, emerging and future skill needs, with the goal of strengthening the nation's workforce planning. For more details here are some great resources and articles, each looking at the Budget from a different point of view.

Spending on Skills and Training is detailed on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

If you want a business focused perspective then this summary from business.gov is for you.

HR issues are well covered by the Australian HR Institute.

Feedback from a range of women's groups have been collated in this article from Women's Agenda.

For a deeper dive into what the Budget means for Australia's economic outlook try this article from the Committee for Economic Development Australia.

Other Nimble News Stories:

“No-one held back and no-one left behind”

The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP recently delivered a wide-ranging speech on the Federal Government’s priorities for skills and training. He emphasised the need to address skills shortages, such as by removing barriers to women’s participation in the workforce and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. He commented on the need to improve apprenticeship completion rates, and to focus on foundation skills, as well as lifelong learning. He identified agriculture as one of the priority areas for fee-free VET places in 2023, and spoke about the new agency - Jobs and Skills Australia.

Gender Equality Insights 2022: The state of inequality in Australia

The latest report from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and Workplace Gender Equality Agency partnership reveals that WA tops the league for gender pay gaps and living in remote areas adds a further penalty. Their latest research suggests moves to create a more gender balanced workforce is how we make progress in this area.

For careers professionals and young people

The McGowan Government’s Career Taster Program offers students the chance to learn about trades and career opportunities from local industries, through hands-on activities. It's great to see the School of Isolated and Distance Education and the not-for-profit 'Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen Inc. (SALT) running workshops and industry roadshows ensuring schools in regional areas also get to benefit from this great program.

Schools, training providers and employers can get involved here.

For Employers:

Future changes to paid parental leave begin to kick in from July 2024. Read more about them here, as well as how Australia stacks up to the rest of the world.

Is a four-day work week the secret to a happy workforce?

Unilever’s successful four-day work week trial in NZ is now being expanded to staff in Australia. The company reported that business targets were still met, while absenteeism dropped 34% and the staff reported a 33% drop in stress and a 67% drop in work-life conflict.