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Catriona Jackson. Photo: Supplied
‘Missed opportunity’
Research and development being
neglected, warns UA chief.
U
niversities Australia has warned
that research and development at
universities cannot be neglected,
as strong economic challenges caused by
a range of factors – including geopolitical
squabbles and the China-US trade war –
begin to affect Australia.
Universities Australia chief executive
Catriona Jackson said in response to the
recent Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal
Outlook (MYEFO): “With the global economy
facing strengthening headwinds, we need
to accelerate into them by investing in
The seekers
Education and training job ads up
despite national slump.
T
he latest SEEK employment report
shows job advertisements for
education and training had the third
highest growth (3 per cent) in the year to
November 2019, despite a significant drop
in job ads nationally. Community services
and development led the field, with job
advertisements up by 14.6 per cent from
November 2018, and healthcare and
medical job ads growing by 5 per cent.
“The top three sectors contributing to
job ad growth remain unchanged for the
4
our people and job-creating research
breakthroughs.
“In challenging economic times, people
often seek to get back into education or
training to better their chances of getting
work. Like successful businesses, as times
get tougher, smart governments invest in
the future of their people.”
The MYEFO contained various changes
that will benefit universities, including:
∞ Pilot programs to lift business-university
collaboration ($9.6 million over two years)
∞ $15 million for five extra regional
study hubs
∞ $30 million for a School of Mines at
CQUniversity in Rockhampton
∞ $30 million for a Defence Innovation
and Design precinct at the University of
Tasmania in Launceston
∞ Changes to the R&D tax incentive
claimed by business.
Stronger collaboration between businesses
and universities is a priority for Prime
Minister Scott Morrison and Education
Minister Dan Tehan, as they struggle to
keep Australia’s economy afloat.
Sluggish growth, stagnant wages,
unemployment and underemployment have coalesced to trigger calls to ditch the
surplus and concentrate on spending to
stimulate the economy, which is projected
to grow at a sluggish 2.25 per cent – down
from the 2.75 per cent projected last May.
But the government has not yet added a
premium rate to the R&D tax incentive for
businesses that collaborate with a university,
which Jackson says is unfortunate.
Jackson welcomed the $15 million
allocated to establishing five university
hubs in regional Australia but was
concerned about discounting research and
development in the country.
“We think that was a missed opportunity
and we’d encourage the government to
take a fresh look at that in the new year,”
Jackson said. “Australia can’t afford to stand
still in a rapidly changing global economy.
An investment in research and development
today returns dividends tomorrow.
“Australian government data shows nine
in 10 new jobs created in the five years to
2023 will need some form of post-school
education. Around half of those will need a
degree and half a vocational qualification.
So the new jobs in our economy are jobs
that rely on knowledge and innovation.” ■
month, with community services and
development, healthcare and medical, and
education and training posting near record
high job ad volumes,” SEEK’s ANZ managing
director Kendra Banks said.
“These sectors continue to offer many
opportunities for job seekers.
“For example, education and training
has a strong demand for secondary and
primary teachers, and childcare and
after-school carers. The healthcare and
medical sector is showing demand for
general practitioners, aged care nurses
and psychologists, counsellors and social
workers. We anticipate this demand will
continue into the new year.”
The latest report corroborates industry
concerns about teacher shortages, and
is good news for graduates commencing
their teaching careers and unemployed
teachers and trainers trying to secure a job.
However, the SEEK employment report
makes clear that job shortages in education
and other sectors might not be felt evenly
throughout the country, and prospective
and experienced teachers may need to
consider moving states.
Total job ads for the nation are down
8.4 per cent for the year, while states such as NSW and Victoria – which have
experienced significant job growth over the
last five years – are down 14 per cent and
8.4 per cent respectively.
“When we look at our state-by-state
breakdown, we see declining ad volume in
the large employing states as they come
down from historically high levels. There
is still a huge number of employment
opportunities across NSW, with over 40,000
listed in Sydney [and] over 33,000 job
opportunities in Melbourne,” Banks said.
The report shows that only three states/
territories posted year-on-year growth in job
advertisements: Tasmania (1.7 per cent), WA
(1.2 per cent) and the ACT (2.3 per cent).
Banks said smaller states and regional
areas are “ticking along with some
encouraging growth”, including some areas
of WA, where Albany/Great Southern and
Bunbury are posting “double digit monthly
job growth”.
Seasonally adjusted average salaries for
all states and territories are all in the positive,
with the ACT experiencing the highest
average salary growth of 4.7 per cent,
followed by Tasmania (3 per cent). WA
posted the lowest annual salary growth of
just 0.3 per cent. ■