Outcomes from the Jobs + Skills Summit for Salon Owners.

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Posted September 5, 2022

As your nationally recognised employer association, HABA is responsible for representing the opinions and concerns of salon owners at all levels of government – including during last week’s national Jobs and Skills Summit. This is how our voices get heard by policymakers and lead to REAL Change for the Hair and Beauty Industry.

“Today is all about one thing bringing people together to confront the big challenges in our society and in our economy.” – said Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers on the opening day of the summit.

Here are the key takeaways specifically for salon owners from the Jobs and Skills Summit.

 

Staff shortages

This is the hottest topic on the lips of salon owners. There were two key announcements made to address these:

1. An increase in the number of fee-free TAFE places on offer

While we applaud the announcement of additional fee-free places at TAFE, we do acknowledge that variations of these fee-free TAFE Schemes have been in place for years. HABA understands that the struggle continues to be in getting students into the system, bums on seats or faces in treatment rooms as it were. HABA continues to work with industry leaders and governments to encourage more students to take up a VET career.

2. Great accessibility to employment for Migrants.
   While an increase in the number of skilled migration places was announced, it is unclear as yet as to whether or not hairdressing and beauty therapy will be included in that list of required skills open for migration. HABA firmly believe that the greatest solution to the staff shortage and skills shortage crisis is to treat skilled migrants with the respect they deserve and welcome them into roles that are not being filled domestically. We look forward to seeing more detail on some of the initiatives that the government has alluded to and how this government will look to draw new employees into the workforce and increase skilled migration.

 

Skills + longevity

One of the other key issues that we hear about from salon owners across the Hair and Beauty Industry is the lack of skilled, dedicated staff willing to stay in their roles long term. While this issue was not clearly covered in the Jobs and Skills Summit, HABA recognises that every salon owner is a small business owner and an entrepreneur in a highly skilled sector. We are more confident of the options for career progression and the longevity of a career in the Hair and Beauty industry than in many other industries and sectors. It will be when parents, students, and employees realise what they can accomplish in our industry that the passion required for longevity and continual skills development will really come to the front, and improve the longevity and dedication across the industry.

Employment Laws

Finally, what we do think the Jobs and Skills Summit did highlight was the government’s intentions to change many of the employment laws. We do question whether or not these changes will actually draw new people into the sector, and question how this will help a sector that has struggled through COVID but appreciates the government’s dedication to doing more at a legislative level. What is clear is that salons will need to stay on top of these changes which may complicate day-to-day operations – as we always say, it is key for salon owners to stay informed and therefore stay in front. A number of workplace changes have been mooted by the government, and while concrete details of these are yet to be fully worked out, the employment minister, Tony Burke, has flagged further consultation will begin almost immediately. HABA will have its work cut out working through these new changes to help salon owners make sense of the changes as they are worked through.

 

HABA continues to represent employers at all levels of government, we are able to make sure that your concerns are raised with the right people who are positioned to make REAL CHANGE. We’ve got Salon Owners backs. That’s why a membership with HABA is something that salon owners simply can’t do without.

 

For the complete list of findings, outcomes, and future actions from the Jobs and Skills Summit, please see more here

https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/inline-files/Jobs-and-Skills-Summit-Outcomes-Document.pdf

 

Further advice

For further advice on this topic or any workplace relations matter, HABA members can call the HABA Advice Line on 02 9221 9911.