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West Australian
2 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
WA industries still crying out for help from international workers
These are the 62 types of jobs that WA bosses just can't fill. From child care workers to veterinarians, to butchers and anaesthetists, scores of professions have been in need of more workers with specialised skills for years. To make matters worse, unemployment is low and participation rates are still high in Western Australia, leaving few avenues for companies, small and large, to find staff. It's left many looking overseas for their workers, relying on skilled migration. During the 2023-2024 financial year more than 15,300 skilled migrants came to Western Australia, more than one-third of which were sponsored by their employer. And a fresh analysis of Jobs and Skills Australia data reveals all 62 of these jobs have been 'in shortage' of workers since 2021. Among them are butchers, which relies heavily on migrant workers. Greg Ryan owns the butcher shop Ryan's Quality Meats in Jandakot which has operated since 1966. His primary source of labour is the Philippines. 'We've been getting skilled migration in as a business for the last 20 years, our business would not be where it is today without that reliance on skilled labour or the ability to employ skilled labour,' he said. 'The thing with skilled migrant labour is that we can actually employ them as what we need.' The need comes as the Federal Government talks tough on international students, who often fill roles in the hospitality sector. In November the Government's plans to introduce a international student cap through legislation were foiled after the Greens and the Coalition sided together to sink the bill in the Senate. A month later the Federal Government worked around the failed legislative attempt by issuing a ministerial directive, effectively enacting a cap across the country. Following the Federal election, Roger Cook asked the Prime Minister to consider the State's 'particular circumstances' on international students. In 2024, there were more than 71,700 international students studying in Western Australia according to the Federal Government, a 20 per cent increase compared to the previous year and a 67 per cent bump on pre-COVID levels. The Federal Government appears to be remaining steadfast with the order. Education Minister Jason Clare said the direction would be applied throughout the country. 'After the Liberals and the Greens teamed up to oppose the cap on international students we put in place another mechanism to better manage international students numbers,' he said. 'It's called Ministerial Direction 111. It applies right across the country and it is working effectively to better manage international students numbers.' Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre principal research fellow Mike Dockery said a cap on international students would be harmful to the State. 'The caps on student numbers, it's sort of a Trumpian shot in the foot as a policy to my mind,' he said. 'What's being proposed, and I don't think we know the details as yet, we're probably looking at about reduction of about 20,000 students in WA.' Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief executive Peter Cock agreed, adding WA's economy was reliant on international students. 'Both the recent changes and those that have been proposed would severely impact WA's ability to attract students by introducing more restrictive visa conditions,' he said. 'It's not just universities who benefit from a healthy international education market – TAFE's and smaller RTO's also rely heavily on overseas students. 'If the private training institutions become unviable, it will not only impact WA's economy but will reduce study options for local students as well.' While overall migration levels plummeted during COVID, many industries had been battling staff shortages long before it — like veterinarians, which as a sector has been short of staff for eight years straight. More than one-third of job advertisements in the industry take more than a year to be filled. According to Australian Veterinarian Association WA division president Katie Kreutz, chronic staff shortages have led to clinics closing or significantly downsizing. 'We've got a couple of issues, there's the demands of the work itself, it is a very taxing job. There's a lot of ethical burdens that contribute to burnout,' Dr Kreutz said. 'There can be very long and unsociable hours in working as a vet, we all love our jobs but there are high demands and sometimes requiring us to work well over our prescribed working week hours. 'There's a pretty high HECS debt associated with studying to become a vet and the payment scheme for veterinarians doesn't reflect what we cash out to go to university.' Talia Morgan, who works at an Osborne Park clinic specialising in dermatology, has felt the impacts of low staff levels firsthand. 'When you're on shift and you're short staffed it puts extra pressure on an already difficult job, I certainly wouldn't want to do anything else (career-wise), but it's not easy,' she said. 'When I've been holding the fort in an emergency practice and I'm short staffed and I'm on the floor doing my fourth euthanasia for the day, just holding it together, it's really rough. 'I love what I do, but it can be really challenging if you haven't got the right support.' Dr Morgan said burnout was common in the industry, often down to long working hours. 'If we're all giving that extra every day, that gets exhausting and there's only so much a koala can bare, isn't there?' she said. 'If we're all just giving 110 per cent again and again, that can't last forever, we can't all do too much for too long.' Skilled migrants are also desperately needed in construction. Housing Industry Association WA executive director Michael McGowan last year estimated the State's industry required about 120,000 new workers in the next 10 years. Mr McGowan told The Sunday Times that figure still stood and would have to come from both local apprenticeship graduations and skilled migrants from interstate and internationally. 'We've certainly made some inroads, and we're seeing more apprentices join the industry, and more skilled workers join from interstate and international destinations,' he said. 'That said, we still need to attract up to 10,000 new entrants into the industry every year to ensure that we can keep up with the demand and the forecast of work that's in the state's pipeline.' Mr McGowan predicted around three quarters of the new workforce would need to come through apprenticeships, with the remaining skilled migrants who could 'hit the ground running'.
Business Journals
25-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Five things: Bank merger mania, skyscraper sale, and intergalactic symphonies
THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE IS FOR SUBSCRIBERS Good morning, Boston. It was a crazy day for banking news. Here are the five things you need to know in local business news to start your Friday and a symphony to the stars — literally. Good morning, Boston. It was a crazy day for banking news yesterday. Here are the five things you need to know in local business news to start your Friday. 1. Eastern, HarborOne banks to merge William Hall reports that Eastern Bank's parent company plans to acquire HarborOne Bank and its parent corporation in a deal worth $490 million, the lenders said late yesterday. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events 2. Berkshire-Brookline bank merger on track Hall also reports that the parent companies for Berkshire Bank and Brookline Bank both reported earnings increases — and say their merger is moving forward as planned. 3. 99 High St. sells at a major discount Greg Ryan reports that Boston real estate firm Synergy has acquired the downtown office tower at 99 High St. for $227 million. It's one of the largest office buildings to trade in the city since the pandemic, and it sold at a substantial discount. Start each day with the 5 Things You Need to Know. Sign up for the Morning Edition. 4. RIP, After almost 10 years of working to diversify the Boston tech startup workforce, plans to shut down this summer, Eli Chavez reports. 5. Coffee bean prices soar, Keurig Dr Pepper looks ahead Keurig Dr Pepper of Burlington said it expects to see the effects this year of skyrocketing coffee bean prices, Grant Welker reports. What else you need to know By the numbers Pizza pivot For many New Englanders, a Bertucci's bread roll is a bite of nostalgia, writes Isabel Hart. This week, the Northborough-based chain is banking on that, with the opening of a new fast-casual concept, Bertucci's Pronto, in downtown Boston. The Petri Dish Boston Scientific's CFO is retiring, a Cambridge biotech underwent a 1-for-20 reverse stock split and a Flagship startup expanded its partnership with Genentech — all in the latest biotech news roundup from Hannah Green. On the radio This morning at 6:45 and 8:45 on GBH Radio's "Morning Edition" you can hear Jess Aloe report the "Boston Business Journal Minute" — a quick highlight of the week's top stories. Not near the radio? Listen here. Listen this Sunday to the New England Business Report, where I will be discussing the five things you need to know about the news of the week with Kim Carrigan and Joe Shortsleeve. Tune in at 8 a.m. on WRKO-AM 680 or listen here. Today in history On this day in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed in orbit from the space shuttle Discovery. (Scroll below for images and highlights from the past 35 years.) What's good on WERS-FM The Weight, by The Band What I'm reading Erasure, by Percival Everett What I'm watching Andor, on Disney Plus Symphony to the stars — literally Movie fans have a lot to look forward to at the Boston Pops this spring — and sci-fi fans, in particular, have several options to check out. With Star Wars Day right around the corner ('May the 4th be with you'), the timing is perfect to consider signing up for one of several concerts featuring music and scores from sci-fi favorites like Star Wars and Star Trek. First, on Thursday, May 15, Keith Lockhart will conduct 'Star Wars: The Story in Music.' Then, on May 23 and 23, astronaut Suni Williams will feature in the 'Boston Pops Music of the Cosmos' concert at Symphony Hall, along with the program's narrator, actor George Takei, best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in Star Trek. (It's Takei's Pops debut as a narrator for this concert, developed in partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston and its Center for Space Sciences.) Lastly, this summer at Tanglewood, the 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert' is scheduled, to be performed live to the film and conducted by Damon Gupton, on Aug. 1. Not a sci-fi fan, but love a good film score? Cynthia Erivo, most recently of 'Wicked' fame, is opening the Boston Pops season on Thursday, May 8, and the following night, on May 9, Lockhart conducts 'JAWS in Concert.' And while we're on the topic of Hollywood, the kickoff at Tanglewood on June 20 will feature 'Top Gun: Maverick in Concert' in the Koussevitzky Music Shed, featuring music by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer, with the score produced by Lorne Balfe. The Boston Pops will perform the score 'live to picture', conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulous. It's a great time to be a Hollywood music fan in Boston, isn't it? PARTING SHOT In celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope's 35 years in Earth orbit — and in keeping with today's galactic theme — here is a collection of images taken by Hubble: Subscribe to the Morning Edition or Afternoon Edition for the business news you need to know, all free. Here are the toughest golf courses for men in Massachusetts Course rating Rank Prior Rank Property 1 1 128 Wilbraham Rd., Hampden, Massachusetts 2 2 191 Clyde St., Brookline, Massachusetts 3 3 400 Arnold Palmer Blvd., Norton, Massachusetts View this list
Business Journals
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Five things you need to know, and the first woman's sub-4 mile
Good morning, Boston. Here are today's things you need to know: Boston homebuilding, Needham Bank profit drop, biotech bankruptcy and the first woman's sub-4 mile Good morning, Boston. Today is National Take Your Children to Work Day, and here are the five things you need to know in local business news to start your busy Thursday. 1. Metro Boston homebuilding off to slowest start in 12 years Homebuilding in Greater Boston is reaching lows not seen in more than a decade, Greg Ryan reports. 2. Thermo Fisher invests $2B in US to counter tariffs, funding cuts Hannah Green reports that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is taking steps — including a $2 billion R&D investment — to mitigate macroeconomic challenges such as the Trump administration's tariffs and government funding cuts. 3. Wound-care biotech seeks bankruptcy protection Green also reports that Arch Therapeutics Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing 'capital market challenges' as a major factor leading up to the decision. Do you like Five Things? Make sure to subscribe — free — to our Morning Edition emails so you have it in your inbox each day. 4. Needham Bank profit drops as it navigates post-IPO growth Little more than a year after going public, the parent company of Needham Bank posted a 19% drop in quarterly earnings, and William Hall reports that much of the drop is driven by economic uncertainty. 5. SBA ditches Biden-era loan-underwriting standards The Small Business Administration is getting rid of Biden-era underwriting standards that let lenders use their own criteria to make SBA loans — the latest in a series of loan-program changes made by the agency under the Trump administration. What else you need to know Today in history On this day in 1990, the 75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Massachusetts Legislature officially designated April 24 as a Day of Remembrance for the million-and-a-half Armenians killed in the first genocide of the 20th century. (Read more at What's good on WERS-FM Little Talks, by Of Monsters and Men What I'm reading Erasure, by Percival Everett What I'm watching Andor, on Disney Plus The first woman to break a sub-4 minute mile While running is still on everyone's mind following this week's Boston Marathon, I'm just wondering if you saw the news that Faith Kipyegon, the world-record holder for the women's mile, will attempt to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile. Kipyegon, 31, set the world record of 4:07.64 for the women's mile in July 2023, nearly five seconds faster than the prior record, which stood for four years, according to ESPN. She won the past three Olympic gold medals and holds the world record in the 1,500 meters and previously held the world record in the 5,000 meters. She plans to attempt a sub-four-minute mile on June 26 at Stade Charléty in Paris, the culmination of a yearlong Nike project dubbed "Breaking 4." To pull it off, she will have to drop almost 8 seconds from her current world record — an amount of time that has taken women more than 30 years to accomplish. But if she does achieve it, the time will not be accepted by the sport as an official record because the race conditions will not meet the sport's official standards. It is akin to Eliud Kipchoge's 2019 marathon in under two hours, at 1:59:40.2, which was not recognized as a world record because his run included rotating pace-setters to help shield Kipchoge from wind, among other conditions. Still, a sub-four-minute mile has never been done by a woman runner. Kipyegon had this to say about her reason why: "I'm a three-time Olympic champion. I've achieved world championship titles. I thought: What else? Why not dream outside the box?" PARTING SHOT If you don't follow GBH Archives on social media, you may have missed this one posted this week, from April 1987, in which passersby were asked why they weren't running the Boston Marathon: "Why aren't you running in the Boston Marathon this year?" MOS interviews from @gbhnews in April, 1987. Reporter, Hope Kelly. — GBH Archives (@GBHArchives) April 21, 2025 Subscribe to the Morning Edition or Afternoon Edition for the business news you need to know, all free. Largest Women-Owned Businesses in Massachusetts Total 2024 revenue Rank Prior Rank Firm/Prior ranked (*unranked in 2024)/ 1 1 Continental Resources Inc. 2 3 Atlas Travel & Technology Group 3 2 Granite City Electric Supply Co. Inc. View this list
