Trade jobs in crisis

Trade jobs in crisis Trade jobs in crisisPosted October 13, 2011, by Helen Isbister The shortage of skilled tradespeople in the construction industry has been eased for the first time in years, but unfortunately the problem hasnt been solved in the most ideal of ways. The weltweit economic crisis has created a decrease in demand for residential and commercial building putting jobs at risk across the board, lowering the salary of trade contractors and meaning a greater skills shortage will occur once the economy does recover. One saving grace is that the health of the construction industry has been a key priority of the government as it struggles to keep the economy afloat and save jobs. The construction industry received much-needed relief with the announcement of the governments second stimulus package on 3 February 2009. Prime Minister Kevin Rudds $42 billion nation building plan will spend about $6.6 billion on building 20 000 new social housing dwellings and 802 new homes for de fence personnel. There will also be urgent maintenance to upgrade 2500 vacant houses so they can be used for social housing. A $3.9 billion green initiative to insulate 2.7 million homes is aimed at simultaneously saving jobs in the construction sector and reducing greenhouse emissions. $500 million will help pay for community infrastructure projects such as town halls, libraries, sports centres and community venues. Mr Rudd said these projects would provide a massive and immediate boost for the housing and construction industry. The boost to the sector comes off the back of a recently unveiled $4 billion bailout of the commercial property sector, which the PM says will save as many as 50 000 jobs. Many of the 150 000 workers employed in the commercial property sector are tradespeople such as plumbers, electricians and carpenters, and Mr Rudd says a third of their jobs are under direct threat from the global economic downturn. As part of a partnership with the major banks, the gover nment will finance office buildings, shopping centres and other commercial property projects, while another $26 billion will be lent to finance commercial projects if required. The plan has copped criticism due to its focus on the commercial sector, when the residential sector has been harder hit and some are saying its greedy property developers and their foolhardy financiers who will benefit most from the scheme. But stimulus packages, government bailouts, infrastructure spending, green incentives, falling house prices, first home-buyer grants and declining interest rates and have not yet managed to salvage the flailing industry. The downturn in economic activity has in the short term improved trade availability, but a drop in housing starts of between 10 and 15 per cent is not an appropriate cure for trade shortages, said Chris Lamont, chief executive of the Housing Industry Association. And because the increase in availability of workers is due to less work rather than an actua l increase in skilled tradespeople, when the economy eventually finds its feet things could be worse than ever. When construction activity bounces back, we will be left with a further deterioration in the availability of skilled tradespeople, Mr Lamont said. Mr Lamont has called for the government to boost funding in trades training, so there will be enough skilled workers when the economy recovers. ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searchesoperations manager job descriptiongraphic designer job descriptionskincare therapist job descriptionequity & diversity project manager job descriptionhow to get cpa CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquir e OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineHelen IsbisterRelated ArticlesBrowse moreProductivityStudy tipsHow To Boost Your Productivity, According To Science InfographicLooking to squeeze more into your day? Here are six tips to up your productivity game, all backed by scienceTheres no business like show businessMusic, film and television occupy a big place in most of our lives they help us to relax, help us to feel, and shape how we landsee and experience the world.Dressing for workJob hunting tipsWhat To Wear To An InterviewGot pre-interview outfit jitters? Whether youre applying for a corporate job, need to pull off the business casual look or are a creative professional, weve got all the tips and tricks you need to know about dressing for an interview.

4 Ways to Improve Cross-Departmental Communication

4 Ways to Improve Cross-Departmental Communication 4 Ways to Improve Cross-Departmental Communication Team. Departments. Divisions. Silos.Wait, what?If youre not familiar with thejargon, silois a term used in business to refer to a group of individuals within a company. Having silos within your company isnt an issue, butproblems do arise when the silos become disconnected from one another, creating a silo mentality. To quote BusinessDictionary, this is a mindset present in some companies when certain departments or sectors do not wish to share information with others in the same company. This mentality can lead to lack of alignment, frustration among employees, duplicate work, and poor customer experiences, to name just a few of the consequences.Whenteams are separated from one another, a weird competitive atmosphere develops, promoting power struggles, job protection, and politics. Communication becomes slow and disjointed throughout the organization. Everyone may be marching in t he same general direction, but the plans are different for each team and no one is discussing what the outcomes should be. The company functions awkwardlyinstead of nimbly, which ultimately prevents growth.Keep your internal silos healthy and thriving with ansicht four best practices for better cross-departmental communication1.Clarity Starts at the TopCompany executives and leadersmust get on the same page and meet regularly about strategic goals and company priorities. They must communicate these plans often throughout the entire organization.Working alone or within departments creates differing plans for the same goals due to differing opinions among teams, but when the leadership team communicates clearly, everyoneknows exactlywhat the 3-5 year plan, annual plan, and quarterly priorities are. This allows the entire team to march the same path in the same direction. When teams are working together to accomplish whole-company initiatives - rather thanoperating compartmentally to achievedepartmental goals - the needle really begins to move.2. Create a Shared Culture, Purpose, and ValuesMuch has been written about the millennial desire to do work that makes an impact, but all generations in the workforce really ?want that same thing?. Identifying and strengthening your company purpose gives employees a clear, shared vision, which creates an environment of trust and fosters increased sharing of information and knowledge.Dont let visions of trust falls and awkward team-building exercises hinder you from taking the leap. Team huddles, notes ofkudos, and quarterly outings are stress-free ways to build a culture of shared purpose and collaboration.3. Streamline Project WorkflowMany operating procedures are set up to move from department to department, dumping the work into the nextsilo on the checklist. This method of operation may seem to work on paper, but in reality, it is clunky and creates internal inefficiencies the lead to poor customer experiences.Instead , create teams that are agile and collaborative. What if a designer sat in on your development projects and your developers collaborated with designers? What if your accounts payable person was involved inyour sales team onboarding, so that salespeople would be working with a familiar face when collecting invoices? Your business will benefit from the diversity of thought, and your employees will thank you for distributing the workload more thoroughly.4. Measure What MattersTheres a myth that adding bean bags and ping-pong tables to the office will make employees happier and more productive. However, productive employees are happy - not the other way around.Its important to note that productive isnt the same as busy. Employees are fulfilled when they know what outcomes they are working toward and when team progredienz is transparent. Your teams should feel like theyve had a successful day when they are reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) and contributing to moving company priorities toward completion.- Many CEOs and executive teams are afraid to break down silos becausethey worry they willlose control. However, when you connect your departments through a shared vision and culture, communication, efficient workflows, and KPIs, you actually ?gain? control through transparency, alignment, and accountability.Jennifer Faught is an entrepreneur coach at Petra Coach.