In addition to the ageing population, Mr van’t Noordende pointed to the skills mismatch. Individuals searching for jobs did not necessarily have the skills required to fill the vacancies, he said, exacerbating the talent shortage.
“If [the right] people aren’t there, you have to broaden. You have to cast your net wider, and see where there are people with similar skills and personality profiles whom you can attract,” Mr van’t Noordende said. Similarly, Australian employers may need to consider hiring more professional people offshore – in the same way they have done with low-skilled employees – and have them work remotely on a permanent basis.“Your digital marketing specialist doesn’t have to be in Sydney. They can be somewhere outside of Australia,” Mr van’t Noordende said.