Combination of factors challenges workforce

The ageing workforce is a key issue but it’s just one aspect of the complex picture facing Australian local governments.

3 December, 2018

Preparing for the impending talent loss

Facing a documented exodus of senior staff, Australian local government needs to prepare and develop its future leadership pipeline.

26 November, 2018

Councils brace for ‘retirement wave’

Experts warn that local government is among the sectors most ‘exposed’ to an ageing workforce, underscoring the importance of good workforce planning.

12 November, 2018

Facing up to local government’s gender woes

Shifting the perception of councils away from “roads, rates and rubbish” will also help reflect the contribution of women in the local government workforce.

27 March, 2018

Local government workers: they’re not getting any younger

Ageing workforce throws up significant problems.

17 February, 2015

Workforce sits on demographic faultline

By Angela Dorizas Councils must recruit, retain and develop a greater number of Indigenous employees to alleviate future workforce demands, a former local government minister has said.   Chair of the Australian Centre of Excellence of Local Government (ACELG) and former senator, Margaret Renynolds, last night released a green paper on Indigenous employment within the […]

30 July, 2010

Business as (un)usual

Local government must change the way it operates to cope with myriad future challenges. Angela Dorizas reports. Stable or lower government grants, increased service demands from an ageing population, infrastructure backlogs, the implementation of government climate change initiatives: these are just some of the future challenges councils can expect. In his address to the recent […]

6 April, 2010

Government needs to remove aged workforce barriers

By Rob O’Brien   The Federal Government needs to remove barriers to workforce participation for mature aged people to ease pressures created by an ageing population, according to accountancy firm Deloitte.   The government needs to make the necessary changes to increase GDP to more than 27 per cent by 2050, to counter the projected […]

4 February, 2010

Australia to face ageing population pressures

By Angela Dorizas Australia’s ageing population will increase government spending and slow economic growth over the next 40 years, according to the 2010 Intergenerational Report, Australia to 2050: Future Challenges. Treasurer Wayne Swan said the report demonstrated just how critical it will be for governments to plan for the future and invest in productivity. “Big challenges lie […]

2 February, 2010

Baby boomers defy seachange trend

By Angela Dorizas Baby Boomers planning to remain in the family home during retirement will put pressure on local government to deliver key services, a new report has found. In a study of baby boomers living in Melbourne’s City of Monash, KPMG demographer Bernard Salt found that almost 70 per cent of the baby boomer […]

9 December, 2009

Councils will ‘bear brunt’ of generational change

The ageing population will place a strain on local government. Image: iStock. By Rob O’Brien Local governments are facing a decade of strain on their services thanks to a two-pronged attack by huge population growth and an ageing nation, leading KPMG demographer Bernard Salt has warned. Addressing the Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA) conference in […]

26 May, 2009