4 minute read
From the President
It feels like we have almost become immune to such headlines as “Unprecedented wave of Infrastructure spend”. As an industry in Australia, we have been discussing for some time now, the merits, fortune and challenges that come with this investment wave. I recall arriving as a ‘skilled migrant’ to Australia in 2003 excited about the opportunities in NSW with the rail clearways program. I could have not imagined that nearly 20 years later how that program would be dwarfed by the level of investment we have now.
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In response to industry concern about the ability to deliver on the ‘wave’, in March 2020 the then Council of Australian Governments (COAG) requested Infrastructure Australia (IA) to report on market capacity to deliver the ‘record’ investment pipeline. Infrastructure Australia responded in October 2021 with their ‘Market Capacity report’.
One key finding that Consult Australia members were already feeling was the risk in accessing professional skills in design, advisory and engineering. More specifically the report identified a shortfall in the region of 74,000 rising to nearly 90,000 at its peak.
As with all these ‘wicked’ problems there is no one ‘silver bullet’ that can solve the problem. There are complexities as we all know. Indeed there are a whole host of factors that continue to compound this issue and need a holistic approach from all stakeholders.
From a supply perspective, the age demographic is working against us in that over 50% of the current workforce is aged 45 years and over, therefore to maintain the current numbers, we need to bring in as many people into the industry as those who are retiring. Our workforce pipeline is not strong, exacerbated by the low participation in STEM education. As workload increases with a limited workforce, so does pressure, workload and the risk of burnout impacting physical and mental health. This creates a vicious circle of further retention risks, that can have a negative impact on our industries culture and attractiveness. The IA report cautioned on the reliance on skilled migrants, like myself two decades back, as the answer. Indeed pointing to the example that 28% of migrant qualified civil engineers were unable to find work in their occupation the reasons being that employers are reluctant to employ individuals with a lack of local experience and understanding of the Australian standards as well as and potential language barriers. Our industry’s gender balance is certainly not 50/50. The 2021 Consult Australia Champions of Change progress report ‘gender balance scorecard’ identified between 26-35% of members’ workforce were female. Now there’s an opportunity!
From the demand side there are a number of opportunities that Consult Australia has advocated for.
Indeed, we recently released our ‘Thinking smarter about skills’ paper which identifies championing collaboration and addressing behaviour to move the dial on culture, so we improve attraction and retention. Also, importantly how we improve productivity by tackling bureaucratic, lengthy procurement. Accelerating digitisation of the industry is also a mechanism for improving the productivity of our industry which has stalled in recent years. Working with our clients to help smooth the ‘wave’ so that we can take the heat out of the pipeline through prioritisation, which will ensure a more sustainable and certain future for our industry and its members.
Whilst this challenge for us can seem overwhelming at times, we must remember what we do can be inspiring and meaningful in contributing to a more liveable, sustainable Australia. So rather than say “it’s all too hard!” let’s work together with our industry partner's to implement these solutions to rebuild capacity so Consult Australia members of the future can celebrate another 70 years!
Rowenna Walker
President
