Issues surrounding a lack of skilled workers and its impact on small businesses were addressed at last week’s Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra.
Held September 1-2, the two-day event called on business, union and government leaders to come together to address trends in employment numbers, incomes and productivity at the national level.
Several reforms affecting small business owners were announced, including new pathways to education and employment.
It was decided that from 2023, fee-free TAFE courses will come on offer to 180,000 education-goers to secure new channels through which people can undergo skills training.
Greater employee protections under the Fair Work Act are also now expected, with the aim of ensuring greater accessibility to flexible work arrangements and unpaid parental leave. Such changes are especially designed to benefit working women, given such individuals take on the majority of carer roles within the family.
Recommendations were also made that individuals with a disability be granted further recognition in the workforce, and that businesses should work with governments and unions to ease limitations for those individuals seeking employment.
Hair & Beauty Australia Industry Association (HABA) CEO Jan Gawel told Professional Beauty that key issues faced by salon owners are yet to be addressed. “While we applaud these announcements, there is nothing really new here,” Jan said. “There have been fee-free, close to free, and discounted TAFE places for many years; funding VET education honestly has never been the struggle. The struggle has been getting bums on seats or in our case, into the treatment rooms.”
“The struggle has been getting bums on seats or in our case, into the treatment rooms.”
The solution, Jan suggests, is a change in communication from inside the home. “We need to break the view that VET careers are somehow inferior. At HABA we recognise that every salon owner is a small business owner; an entrepreneur in a skilled sector. We know that this is not how it is typically viewed across kitchen tables when parents talk to their children and the way schools promote beauty to their students, unfortunately. We are more confident in the longevity of a career in the beauty sector than many so-called ‘white collar’ jobs. Only when students realise what they can accomplish, or more importantly when parents realise what future their children can have, will the passion really come to the roles.”
“Only when students realise what they can accomplish, or more importantly when parents realise what future their children can have, will the passion really come to the roles.”
It was also announced that a lift on the number of migrants gaining access to employment Australia-wide will occur, with special attention given to securing rural placements.
“We believe that until the numbers increase through the VET sector, the only solution is to recognise that these are skilled jobs and to treat migrants with the respect they deserve and welcome them to the roles that are clearly not being filled domestically,” Jan said.
“With that said, we look forward to some of the initiatives that have been alluded to… on how this government will draw new employees into the workforce. While concrete details of these are yet to be fully worked out, the employment minister Tony Burke has flagged further consultation will begin almost immediately, which HABA is a part of.”
Announced, too, was that an increase in wages across the board could occur with the implementation of a multi-employer bargaining scheme, impacting beauty therapists across all levels.
“What we do think the Jobs and Skills Summit did highlight was the government’s intentions to change many of the employment laws,” Jan admitted. “We do not think that the changes will actually draw new people into the sector and question how this will help a sector that has struggled through COVID. What is clear is that salons will need to stay on top of these changes which potentially only complicates day-to-day operations. HABA will have its work cut out working through these new changes to help salons as these changes are worked through.”
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