Employment and Skills Strategies in Australia
Employment and Skills Strategies in Australia focuses on the role of local employment and training agencies in contributing to job creation and productivity. It looks at the role of Local Employment Coordinators, introduced by the Department of Employment to work in 20 "priority employment areas" which were identified as needing extra assistance following the global financial crisis. This report is part of a comparative OECD review of local job creation policies, which explores how countries are putting measures in place at the local level to stimulate quality employment, social inclusion and growth.
Overview of the Australian case study areas
To better understand the role of the local level in contributing to job creation and productivity, this study examined local activities in two priority employment areas in Australia: i) Ballarat-Bendigo; and ii) Ipswich-Logan. Both areas face unique employment and labour market challenges, which affect their growth and competitiveness. This chapter provides a labour market and economic overview of each region as well as the results from an OECD LEED statistical tool which looks at the relationship between skills supply and demand at the sub-national level.