Attraction of industrial skilled labour to the Avon Valley

The report, which was commissioned by the Wheatbelt Development Commission in partnership with the Avon Community Development Foundation, placed a special emphasis on the Avon Industrial Park (AIP), and also made recommendations for future strategic actions.

Many industries and communities in rural Australia experience skilled labour shortages that restrict the economic and social functions of businesses and reduce their capacity for expansion.

The causes of labour shortages are complex and vary geographically and by sector. Understanding these variations is fundamental to the design and implementation of effective strategies to tackle these shortages and is therefore critical to the future successful development of the AIP.

In researching this report, we conducted interviews with community, industry and local government in the Avon Subregion and collected statistical data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Census of Population and Housing. We also consulted background literature written by various government agencies, and academic literature addressing skilled labour shortage issues.