Prosperity for the West? As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic we have a great opportunity

For the first time since we all experienced the effects of the pandemic, research has revealed that there are urgent key needs in Melbourne’s West that if managed well will lead to greater prosperity.

In the first phase of a ground breaking research project, Skills and Jobs for Melbourne’s West has mapped urban skills and investigated the future jobs needs of employers in four focus industry sectors – Infrastructure, Digital Economy, Social Services and Care, and Manufacturing.

Importantly, marked growth in the West of Melbourne working age population over the coming decade will need to be supported by equally strong levels of employment in our region. But there are challenges that need to be addressed.

Key findings

• Most employers in the West of Melbourne report a skills gap in the local labour force.
• The local labour force in the West of Melbourne serves some industries well but often in lower skilled occupations.
• Many residents in the West of Melbourne commute out of the area for work and this will worsen in the future.
• Employers reported additional problems in staff recruitment, retention, career development, progression and building up employees’ skills.
• Only a third of employers have active links with training providers.

This paradox of large scale commuting to work outside the West of Melbourne, alongside a local skills shortage, is largely due to a mismatch of skills.

The Skills and Jobs for Melbourne’s West project is focused on the area covered by the following six Councils: Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley, and Wyndham.

The research in this report was led by researchers in Victoria University's Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES), with economic modelling by the Centre of Policy Studies (CoPS).

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Victorian State Government and the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance (WoMEDA).