Missed opportunities for Tasmanian employers and jobseekers

Employers and jobseekers across Australia are missing out on valuable employment opportunities,
with only two thirds of employers aware of Government-funded employment service agencies and
only around 7 per cent of those employers using them in the last 12 months.

Workskills General Manager Janet Saunders said Tasmanian employers were no exception, further
highlighted by the fact Tasmania had the highest unemployment rate nationwide at 7.7 per cent.

“As a Job Services Australia provider these statistics are very disappointing, especially as Workskills
currently has over 3,000 jobseekers on our books in Southern Tasmania alone,” Ms Saunders said.

“Not only are services provided free to employers but they may be eligible to receive financial
assistance and additional support provided by Workskills, our dedicated staff are trying to educate
employers of these benefits by forging relationships with businesses and matching appropriate
jobseekers with organisations.

“With the state of Tasmania’s high unemployment we have seen an increase in the amount of
professionals and skilled people coming to us for assistance with their search for ongoing
employment.

“Workskills takes a holistic approach to matching jobseekers with employers, offering programs such
as the hands-on Red Shed training initiatives in both Hospitality Skills and Labourers Skills, which
provides an added qualification to participants’ job applications.”

Workskills provides job matching services at no charge to employers as a Job Services Australia
provider. Additionally, there may be financial assistance and other support available to employers
and as a Registered Training Organisation, Workskills assists jobseekers with a range of training
solutions.

Workskills this year celebrates a record 30 years of assisting people in search of employment and
training in southern Tasmania and would urge any business looking to recruit for open positions to
approach them directly by calling (03) 6262 5400.

Ms Saunders said over the years, Workskills had assisted tens of thousands of people to access
training and find ongoing, sustainable employment.

“We’re extremely proud of our history and our 30 years of operation, and while the contracting
economy and tough labour market can make it challenging, it’s always satisfying when you achieve a
good result for a jobseeker,” Ms Saunders said.

“It isn’t unusual for some of our jobseekers to have to address a wide range of formidable challenges
in their lives, which can in turn affect their confidence when seeking employment, but we have
numerous stories of individuals who have been determined to improve their skills and prove
themselves in the job market, even if it takes a few years.”
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