Australia funds A$10 million data tool to plug skills gap

The Australian government will be setting aside A$10 million (US$ 7,155,097) to build an integrated data platform to deliver a comprehensive, near real-time view of the country’s workforce, skill and labour market. 

The tool will deliver such data at a regional level so businesses would be able to understand the supply and demand for staff, help them in workforce planning, and match available skills and training to their needs, the government said, reports IT Pro.

It hopes the tool can help ensure workforce policy and industry-specific workforce plans are data-driven, thus helping Australians take up available roles, remove barriers to participation, attract skilled migration that complements the domestic workforce and is able to fill skill gaps. 

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“It identifies the critical role business and industry needs to play in investing in their existing staff and contributing to Australia’s current and future workforce, and ensures that all Australians have opportunities to train, reskill, or upskill, and find meaningful work,” said Stuart Robert, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business.