Where have all the young people gone?
Abstract
The Australian economy is performing well in almost all sectors – but nowhere more so than in the Resources sector where it can be described as booming. However, this is at a time where many of the country’s greatest assets – its people – are about to withdraw their services from the labour pool. Whilst the retirement era for the ‘Boomers’ has long been known and predictable, the paucity of young people to fill their shoes has not been so well recognised – even though it has been predictable to the astute observer. Whatever the reasons, Australia is now recognising the situation and acting to address it – the National Skills Crisis (NSS).
The potential implications of the NSS are widespread throughout all sectors and include;
- Delayed retirement planning for the ‘Boomers’
- Industry based wooing of young people to ‘choose me’ for their working careers.
- Focused attention on Indigenous young people – particularly by the Resources Sector - in the northern ‘half’ of the continent as the largest, untapped, potential labour pool.
All problems are solved by first understanding their root causes and this one is no different. This Paper will endeavour to identify some of the key root causes of the NSS and discuss their implications with the objective of suggesting some appropriate actions for the Resources Sector to consider.
Author:
William Lawson