The Personal Service’s IRC was not required to submit an annual update to their 2019 Skills Forecast during 2020. As such, the version published in 2019 remains the most recently published Skills Forecast for this industry.
Personal Services IRC
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Click Here to see all results.This page provides high level information and data on the Personal Services industry which comprises four main industry sectors:
The Personal Services industry includes a diverse range of businesses, from large companies to sole traders, providing individual services to customers across Australia.
Nationally recognised training for Personal Services is delivered under the SFL – Floristry Training Package, SHB – Hairdressing and Beauty Services Training Package and SIF – Funeral Services Training Package.
Information sourced from the most recently available Skills Forecast, the Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
The Personal Service’s IRC was not required to submit an annual update to their 2019 Skills Forecast during 2020. As such, the version published in 2019 remains the most recently published Skills Forecast for this industry.
Personal Services IRC
Please note: any employment projections outlined below were calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics prior to COVID-19.
Due to the diverse nature of this industry, overall employment information is not available. See sector pages for employment level information.
Program enrolments in the training packages that make up the Personal Services industry (see notes for full list of training packages included) were at their highest in 2015 at approximately 67,590 and have since fallen to roughly 44,680 in 2019. Program completions also fell between 2015 and 2019, from around 17,260 to 14,250.
At a subject level, around 97% of enrolments were in subjects delivered as part of a nationally recognised program, and there has been almost no variation to this figure over the past five years.
Job vacancy data suggests the top five occupations in demand across the Personal Services industry are:
According to job vacancy data the top two employers across the Personal Services industry are Just Cuts Incorporated and Invocare Australia.
The Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast acknowledged that although technical skills are imperative, the following soft skills have been highlighted as priority skills for the industry:
In addition, the top ranked generic skills for the industry according to the Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast, were:
The Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast identifies three factors which are currently challenging the industry. These are skills shortages, attraction and retention, and government policy / legislation changes.
A lack of skills and knowledge among industry graduates has been highlighted by employers, with the uptake of short, condensed and/or non accredited training, as well inadequate training materials identified as contributing to the lack of skills. In addition, many students are unable to gain real world work experience due to a lack of quality work placements and opportunities to gain practical experience, therefore meaning these students miss opportunities to develop both ‘soft skills’ and fundamental technical skills.
The challenge of attracting skilled workers has been in part attributed to key influencers such teachers, school career advisors and parents not valuing personal services occupations as viable career pathways, therefore dissuading young people from choosing a career within the Personal Services industry. Retention issues have been highlighted with regards to hairdressing apprenticeships where attrition rates are high and steadily increasing. Increased competition from home-based salons has been identified as draining the supply of skilled workers, while a suggestion has been made to encourage more engagement between apprentices and industry outside of mandatory work requirements to try and combat high attrition rates.
Inconsistent policies and legislation across jurisdictions mean that overall there is a lack of appropriate regulation in the hairdressing and beauty sector according to the Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast. In many states, local councils are now responsible for determining if these businesses are meeting health regulations, as separate state-based shop registration procedures have now ceased. The industry strongly believes that licencing needs to return or be reintroduced for hairdressing and beauty services, especially in relation to the use of intense pulsed light (IPL), laser equipment and cosmetic tattooing. In line with this, SkillsIQ, under the direction of the Personal Services IRC, has submitted a Case for Endorsement for the Advanced Diploma of Intense Pulsed Light and Laser for Hair Reduction Case for consideration by the AISC.
For detailed analysis of skills needs, see the respective sector pages.
The Personal Services industry has been significantly impacted by COVID-19 with many businesses forced to close for extended periods, and strict operating guidelines for businesses that remained open as well as for those re-opening after mandatory closures. To understand what these guidelines mean for the Personal Services industry, a review of the WorkSafe Tasmania COVID Safe Workplace Guidelines for the Funeral Services industry; Hairdressing, Beauty and Other Personal Services industry; and the Weddings and Religious Services industry, provide examples of the new operating environments required of these industries.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Advanced Diploma of Intense Pulsed Light and Laser for Hair Reduction Case for Endorsement - SkillsIQ
WorkSafe Tasmania COVID Safe Workplace Guidelines – WorkSafe Tasmania
Aesthetics Practitioners Advisory Network
Australian Association of Floral Designers
Australian Funeral Directors Association
Australian Hairdressing Council
Australian Institute of Embalming
Hair and Beauty Industry Association
Independent Funeral Directors Association of Australia
National Funeral Directors Association of Australia
Retail and Personal Services Skills Advisory Council
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Student and Courses from the following training packages or qualifications:
Priority skills data has been extracted from the Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast. Each IRC has prioritised and ranked the generic skills.
Job vacancy data have been extracted from Burning Glass Technologies 2020, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Burning Glass Technologies, Boston, viewed July 2020, https://www.burning-glass.com.
Data shown represent most requested occupations and employers according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2017 and June 2020 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.