More than a quarter, or 27%, of Australian businesses are having difficulty finding suitable staff, according to survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

ABS Head of Industry Statistics, John Shepherd, said the latest Business Conditions and Sentiments Survey, conducted from 9 to 16 June 2021, showed there were several reasons why employers were struggling to find suitable staff to fill jobs.

“The most frequently reported reason was a lack of applicants (74%), followed by applicants not having the required skills (66%), international border closures (32%) and job location (29%),” Shephard said.

Businesses also reported having difficulty finding suitable hospitality workers, sales staff, engineering and science professionals and drivers. Other in demand jobs included building trades and business professionals.

“The survey also found that 19% of businesses reported that, based on current operations, they didn’t have sufficient employees,” Shephard said. “Notable factors influencing staff numbers for these businesses were the inability to find suitable staff (57%) and the affordability of additional staff (48%).”

Looking forward, 23% of businesses expected to increase staff numbers over the next three months. For those anticipating an increase in staff, 61% expected the additional jobs to be permanent.