Your workforce is one of the most vital parts of your business. Finding and keeping the right people is critical to business performance.
Businesses are increasingly recognising the need to have good workforce development practices in place, especially in a tight labour market.
The importance of workforce development and planning within the food sector is particularly critical, given an identified shortage of skilled labor in SA. Numerous Government and industry bodies such as Food, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Skills Advisory Council SA Inc, Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology, Primary Industries Skills Council, Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy and PIRSA are providing a strong emphasis on ensuring the quality of training is maintained to industry standards, to help build a more skilled and professional industry.
Firstly, it is important to determine what level of staffing you need, and how your staff will be employed – would you be better served with an ‘employee’ or ‘contractor’?
If you decide to employ, you will need to spend some time working out what sort of employee you are looking for.
Describe the job, and write down the formal qualifications, skills and attitudes a suitable candidate would bring to the job. This is called a Job and Person Specification, and it is an important tool in helping you select the right person for the job.
Skills for All can also help you better understand the State's labour market and your industry's workforce, and connect you to information about your region, especially in relation to employment and skills.
Employers are often unsure how much to pay a new employee. It may be the role is a new one in the business, or the employer may be concerned about overpaying or underpaying relative to prevailing market rates.
Most employers understand the need to be competitive with remuneration. Paying too little makes it difficult to attract good staff, paying too much erodes profitability. You can determine an appropriate level of salary for a new staff member by:
- checking award conditions
- talking to other employers in your industry
- asking your industry association
- consulting a remuneration adviser
- checking employment advertisements for similar jobs
- asking the prospective employee about their expectations
Agreement making
Individual agreements
From 1 January 2010 there will be no legislative provisions for the making of individual agreements.
Collective agreements
On 1 July 2009 Fair Work Australia began operations as part of a new national workplace relations system underpinned by the Fair Work Act 2009.
The new system, which also involves the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work divisions of the Federal Court and Federal Magistrates Court, replaces that which operated under the Workplace Relations Act 1996.
The transition to the new system is being implemented in stages.
Need more information?
Fair Work Australia can also assist with:
- Dismissal
- Dispute resolution
- Minimal wage setting
- National employment standards
- Awards
- Taxation
Want to know more?
Skills for all
Supporting better workforce planning in South Australia with information for industry and the workforce.
Human Resources & employment
Understand the diversity of your workforce and implement an effective human resources program to enable employees to become high performers, achieving beyond their goals.
Food skills advisory council
Developing industry specific work plans, identifying workforce trends and emerging skill needs as well as considering issues relating to career advice and the attraction and retention of a skilled workforce.
Apprenticeship assistance
The Federal Government has various employment assistance schemes, particularly to attract young people into the workforce.
Help with staff
- Traineeships and apprenticeships – 1800 673 097
- Wages and awards – 1300 365 255
- WorkCover – 13 18 55
- Tax instalment deductions – 13 28 66
- Superannuation guarantee – 13 10 20
