Critical labour shortages plus escalating materials costs are a spanner in the works for Australian construction businesses. In the year to September, residential construction costs increased 7.1%, the steepest rise since 2005. Those costs are tipped to jump a further 6% this year, says the Urban Developer. Underpinning those higher prices is the worst materials shortage in more […]
Australia’s reliance on offshore manufacturing during the pandemic has come under the spotlight. Our dependence on overseas supplies for much-needed masks, vaccines, and even the diesel engine additive AdBlue, has highlighted just how little we manufacture here in Australia. How the pandemic exposed our reliance on global supply chains Today, domestic manufacturing accounts for a […]
Flexibility is the main reason Australian businesses hire contractors. Think of it as your very own surge capacity to onboard swiftly, deal temporarily with skill shortages, try before you hire and protect your bottom line, etc. And you might be spoilt for choice because one million Australians are independent contractors, says the Australian Bureau of Statistics. […]
Truck driving is one of our country’s most dangerous occupations. Drivers have a 13-fold higher risk of dying at work than other jobs, a 12-year university study has found. Over the period of the research (to 2018), the study found they lodged more than 120,000 claims for work-related injury and diseases. How can you safely accelerate risk […]
The pandemic-induced skills shortage has seen contract harvesters in demand and now insurance premiums are reaping a huge rise. For example, some harvesters faced a hefty $54,000 bill to comprehensively insure their new headers at the start of the season, according to ABC News Online. Elsewhere, insurers have cancelled their harvesters’ policies to avoid paying the excess premiums. […]
