South Australian businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and recruit staff, according to a recent study by the South Australian Business Chamber and William Buck.
The findings, from the June 2024 Survey of Business Expectations, reveal that 41.3% of respondents reported more difficulty in attracting and recruiting staff compared to the previous year.
The survey also highlighted that 47.3% of businesses cited staff and skills shortages as one of their primary challenges, alongside rising costs, declining profitability, and government policies.
This has been an issue for South Australian businesses since the pandemic and with the unemployment rate still hovering around historical lows, it will be with us for some time.Our small business members often ask us how can we help in this space, given we already offer advice on industrial relations issues for their business.
In response, the South Australian Business Chamber has introduced a new recruitment support service, designed to save both time and money and offer cost-effective solutions for employers who may not have the resources or capacity to work through the recruitment process.
Andrew Kay, CEO of the South Australian Business Chamber, explained that the Recruitment Solutions service is aimed at helping business owners who typically handle their recruitment internally, and find it difficult to make the time to do the process justice, especially for more basic, lower-paying roles.
“We are offering two services: candidate screening and shortlisting,” Kay said.
“Many business owners are time-poor, and the cost of a full executive search for lower-level roles can’t be justified. Our service provides a curated shortlist of suitable candidates, allowing them to bypass the time-consuming task of sifting through dozens of CVs and making follow-up calls.”
