Mid West-Gascoyne businesses most optimistic in WA about short-term future despite labour and supply worries

Businesses in the Mid West and Gascoyne are the most optimistic in the State about the next three months, but skilled labour shortages and high supply costs are still a concern for the long-term, according to new data from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA. A new report released by CCIWA found 47 per cent of Mid West and Gascoyne businesses think conditions will improve over the next three months, while in WA as a whole, only 38 per cent said things would get better. Joanne Fabling, Mid West Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO, said local businesses had been seeing better conditions in the start of 2023. “Mid West businesses have a good reason to feel optimistic,” she said. “We’ve had a very robust agricultural sector over last couple of seasons, some good returns there, iron is ore is holding steady, so I think in the short term our businesses have every reason to feel quite confident.” Difficulty finding skilled labour and dealing with rising supply costs are still major concerns for local businesses, with 87 per cent listing labour availability, and 80 per cent listing supply costs, as barriers to growth. “We’ve still got a lot of issues to solve, such as housing and training, we can see those will be long-term issues and that uncertainty is still there,” Ms Fabling said. Leah Hirst, co-founder and company director of JMH Group, a local heavy vehicle repair business, said the lack of skilled labour had been challenge her company had been forced to navigate. “We’re still definitely in a skill shortage, without a doubt,” she said. “A lot of businesses have had to get a bit creative . . . we’ve had to bring in four or five tradespeople and their families from other States and internationally to Geraldton.” Across WA, the most common response to labour shortages had been to invest in training new workers, according to the report. The data revealed 87 per cent of Mid West and Gascoyne businesses were investing in new employees, above the Statewide level of 65 per cent. Ms Hirst said access to training had become more important for both companies and workers. “We’ve always thought youth and apprentices are the future of the industry, so its always been important, but we are seeing a growing trend here,” she said. “A lot of people are looking to work for an organisation who can offer different types of training and career opportunities.”