ANZSCO 3232-11-12-13-14 Tasmania
Metal Fitters and Machinists December 2016
Labour Economics Office Tasmania
Department of Employment
Current labour market rating No Shortage
Previous labour market rating (December 2015) No Shortage (Fitters)
Shortage (Metal Machinists)
Comments
Recent research indicates there is currently no shortage of metal fitters and machinists in Tasmania with all employers receiving qualified applicants for their vacancies and the large majority of vacancies being filled.
Survey results
· A Department of Employment survey of employers who had recently advertised for metal fitters and machinists found that 69 per cent of vacancies were filled. In comparison, all vacancies for fitters were filled in 2015, while all vacancies for metal machinists remained unfilled.
· Employers received an average of 2.6 qualified applicants per vacancy with 1.4 applicants per vacancy considered suitable.
· All employers sought a qualified tradesperson and all received applications from qualified people. Unfilled positions included cases where the employer was seeking a tradesperson with experience in a particular area such as automotive machinery or heavy earthmoving equipment or where qualified applicants were not considered to be the right fit for the workplace. However, there was no pattern to the unfilled vacancies which suggested a significant recruitment difficulty in any particular industry sector or skill specialisation.
Unsuitable applicants
· All surveyed employers were seeking qualified applicants and therefore unqualified applicants were considered unsuitable.
· In a number of cases, qualified applicants were considered unsuitable because they did not have specific experience sought by the employer; for example, automotive machinery or experience with heavy earth moving equipment. A small number of employers stated that some applicants had limited skills due to the nature of the work they had been doing.
· Other unsuitable applicants lacked soft skills and were not considered to be a suitable fit for the business.
Demand and supply trends
· At the 2011 ABS Census, there were 70 metal machinists (first class) counted in Tasmania with the largest proportion employed in the manufacturing industry at 68.2 per cent. There were 1,540 fitters (general), 270 fitter and turners and 50 fitter-welders counted in Tasmania with the largest proportion also employed in the manufacturing industry (the primary industry of employment for fitters of all specialisations in Tasmania). [1]
· Over the year to August 2016, employment in Tasmania in the manufacturing industry increased by 2.7 per cent. However, over the ten years to August 2016, employment in this industry decreased by 7.1 per cent.[2]
· Manufacturing employment in Tasmania is projected to fall by 5.2 per cent over the five years to November 2020, compared with growth of 5.1 per cent across all industries.[3]
· ABS 2011 Census data shows that 63.6 per cent of metal machinists (first class) held a Certificate III or higher qualification. On average, around 82 per cent of all fitters (including general fitter, fitters and turners and fitter-welders) held a Certificate III qualification or higher. [4]
· Most of the supply to the occupation comes from the apprenticeship system. Metal machinist (first class) apprentices and fitter apprentices usually undertake a Certificate III in Engineering – Mechanical Trade. While this qualification is also relevant to a number of other mechanical trades the large majority of apprentices and trainees undertaking the qualification would be fitters and machinist. [5]
· Data for Tasmania obtained from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show that 48 apprentice and trainee completed their training with the relevant qualification in the twelve months ending March 2016. This was similar to the average of around 51 per year for the last five years.[6]
Labour Economics Office Tasmania
Department of Employment
[1] ABS 2011 Census Population data, Tasmania
[2] ABS, Labour Force, August 2016, Department of Employment trend data.
[3] Department of Employment Projections based on ABS detailed data
[4] ABS 2011 Census Population data, Tasmania
[5] www.myskills.gov.au, 15/11/2016
[6] NCVER, Apprentices and Trainees, March 2016, estimates