Low unemployment rates impact Council

Published on 07 July 2023

While the current record low unemployment rates are impacting business and service providers right across Australia, they are also having a big impact on Lachlan Shire Council.

Council currently has 13 vacant positions advertised and 5 positions with applications going through the recruitment process. There are another 10 vacancies that Council hasn’t been able to fill recently, that will need to be readvertised. In total, that’s 28 vacancies out of 166 positions Council employs or approximately 17% of the Council workforce.

The vacancies exist right across Council’s workforce from all areas, including child care workers, plant operators, mechanics, customer service staff, administration officers, trainees and apprentices.

Council’s General Manager Greg Tory said, “We have so many opportunities for people who want a job or career in local government, but we’re receiving far fewer applications than usual. We just don’t understand where everyone has gone. I hope the community understands the impact this is having on the services we deliver, and I’m worried about the effects the staff shortages are having on our existing staff as they try to cover the vacancies and keep delivering for the community. We’ve also tried to engage short-term contractors, through labour hire firms, to cover some roles but they are struggling to find staff also. A lot of staff are now wearing multiple hats while they cover the work of the vacant positions along with their own duties.

Of particular concern is the shortage of mechanics and early child care educators. We don’t have any mechanics working at the moment, and we’ve been advertising for over 12 months and have been unable to fill these roles. We are using contractors to do this work, but a fully staffed workshop is more efficient for our operations.

The shortage of applicants for skilled child care positions may also impact our ability to provide childcare places, and this will have a flow on effect to other workers in the community. Council supports staff to undertake training and development in Early Childhood Education and Care and we recently advertised traineeships. We did employ one trainee, but the response was surprisingly low, and opportunities are still available for anyone with the skills needed to complete a traineeship.”

Due to the vacancies Council has been forced to use contractors for some projects they would normally do with their staff, while other projects have had to be deferred so that regular maintenance of other infrastructure can continue.

Council understands that they are not alone in these challenging times, with many businesses and other councils experiencing the same problems in attracting and retaining staff, with much higher levels of vacancy rates across all employment sectors than usual.

Recruitment of professional staff with specialist qualifications is particularly difficult for small rural councils who compete with larger regional and urban councils, the state government, and large regional employers for staff. This has seen many councils, including Lachlan Shire Council, consider different working models, including hybrid and remote work in order to attract employees and continue to deliver services for the community.

Mr Tory added, “Working in local government can be very rewarding as there is an opportunity to build a career in multiple professions while providing services that benefit our local community.”