ANZSCO 3212-11,12,13Victoria

Motor MechanicsOctober 2017

Labour Economics Office Victoria

Department of Jobs and Small Business

Current labour market ratingShortage

Previous labour market rating (December 2016)Metropolitan shortage

Comments

This is the fourth consecutive year that a shortage has been evident for this occupation, noting that in

2016 the shortage was in metropolitan areas only.

Survey results[1]

  • The proportion of vacancies filled was 46 per cent from an average of 4.2 applicants per vacancy and 0.8 suitable applicants per vacancy.
  • All unfilled vacancies were attributed to insufficient suitable applicant numbers.
  • General motor mechanic employers filled 27 per cent of vacancies from an average of 0.5 suitable applicants per vacancy.
  • Diesel mechanics and motorcycle mechanics filled the same proportion of vacancies each (60 per cent) from averages of 1.2 and 0.6 suitable applicants per vacancy respectively.
  • The results for the proportion of vacancies filled, as well as average number of applicants and suitable applicants per vacancy,are the lowest in five years.

Employer requirements

  • Almost all employers required applicants to hold relevant trade qualifications.
  • One quarter of employers did not require a minimum duration of experience, indicating that this did not necessarily infer a particular skill level; the remainder required one to four or more years, depending on the expectations of the role.
  • Employers also required applicants to hold driver licences applicable to the vehicles being worked on (e.g. heavy rigid diesel driver’s licence or a motorcycle licence).
  • A small number of employers noted that possession of a forklift licence, roadworthy testing certificate or airconditioning licence was viewed favourably.

Unsuitable applicants

  • Applicants were mainly considered unsuitable because they lacked the required qualifications.
  • While 44 per cent of applicants were qualified, 59 per cent of these were considered unsuitable because they lacked sufficient relevant experience or the requisite technical skills to work independently.

Employer comments

  • Several employers suggested that potential impacts on future supply include:
  • A perceived low standard of pay when compared to other licensed trades
  • The physically challenging and dirty nature of motor mechanic work
  • The training not always meeting the needs of industry
  • Minimal promotion of the trade to students younger than school leaving age.

Demand and supply trends

  • Based on the data below, demand appears likely to increase while supply indicators appear mixed.
  • Demand for motor mechanics is primarily driven by the automotive repair and maintenance sector which is closely linked to the number and age of road registered vehicles.
  • Over the year to September 2017, total new motor vehicle sales in Victoria fell by 2.3 per cent against an overall increase of 11.9 per cent since 2012.[2]
  • In the year to January 2017 the number of registered vehicles in Victoria increased by 2.5 per cent (0.4 percentage points higher than the Australian increase and on par with the average annual growth rate of the previous five years years).[3]
  • The estimated average age of all motor vehicles in Victoria is 10.1 years, equal to the Australian average and the fourth highest of all states and territories.[4]
  • Online vacancies have trended up since late 2013 and reached a five year peak in September 2017.[5]
  • An apprenticeship, including completion of a Certificate III qualification, is the main pathway into this trade.[6]
  • Commencements have decreased by 30 per cent since reaching a five year peak in 2015.
  • Completions, while trending down over the previous five years, are currently 4.5 percent above the series low recorded in 2015.[7]

Labour Economics Office Victoria

Department of Jobs and Small Business

[1] The methodology underpinning this research is outlined at Skill Shortage Research Methodology | Department of Jobs and Small Business - Document library, Australian Governmentand can also be accessed by the QR code.

[2]Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Cat. No. 9314.0, Sales of New Motor VehiclesAustralia, Table 2: New Motor Vehicles Sales by State, Type, September 2017

[3]ABS,Cat. No. 9309.0, Motor Vehicle Census Australia, Table 1: January 2017

[4] Ibid (Table 3)

[5]Department of Employment, Internet Vacancy Index, September 2017, 12 month moving average

[6]Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), First Edition, 2006 (Alternatively, AQF Certificate IV OR at least three years of relevant experience may substitute for a formal qualification. In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification. Registration or licensing may be required.)

[7] National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Apprentices and Trainees, March 2017, estimates (limited to Certificate III)