Latest news with #CCIWA
West Australian
11-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Lanna Hill: Beyond the perky LinkedIn posts, business are struggling
The breakfast functions are back, and the panels are packed. LinkedIn is humming with job posts, announcements, appointments, and those 'thrilled', 'honoured', 'grateful' posts. From the outside, it looks like business is booming again. Back in March, CCIWA reported business confidence at its highest in three years. Beneath the polished surface, a different picture is starting to emerge — one that doesn't quite match the momentum we're performing. In reality, many teams are stretched thin, and external budgets are stalling. Proposals hang in inboxes for weeks with no response — not because they weren't good, but because a fear of commitment (and ghosting) has become real in the business world, too. July data backs this up, with 70 per cent of WA businesses citing rising costs as their top growth barrier. What we're seeing is something I'd like to call performative recovery. The external signals are strong — especially here in WA, where mining royalties and infrastructure investment paint a confident picture — but scratch the surface, and you'll find a quiet hesitation that's shaping everything from hiring to marketing spend. London-based ad giant WPP's tumbling share price this week is one of many examples of the ever-changing environment we're in. Some of this is actually very important. Business and political leaders need to show strength. Perception matters: to clients, to competitors, to staff. So we lean into language that sounds like progress, even when we're still in a holding pattern. It would seem it's partly because the rules have changed. The post-COVID economy never fully reset. We're no longer in crisis mode (depending largely on the increasingly unpredictable geopolitical landscape, which swings wildly from week to week), but we're not in true growth mode either. There's a sense of suspended motion — like we're all waiting for someone else to blink first. At the same time, the cost of doing business has risen across the board. Wages, insurance, software, compliance, professional services — everything's gone up. But few companies have raised prices fast enough to match it. And in service-based businesses, that squeeze is especially brutal. The same team is expected to do more, with less margin, and still show up looking energised and engaged. And then there's the fatigue. The kind you can't see in a quarterly report. Mid-sized firms, especially those led by owner-operators or lean leadership teams, are running low on buffer — not just financial, but emotional. I've spoken to so many capable, ambitious people lately who are quietly questioning whether this version of success is sustainable. For those taking them, holidays aren't just holidays anymore. They're an essential tactic to stave off burnout. So no — not everything is back. But that's not a failure. It's just the reality of a business culture that's been white knuckling its way through economic uncertainty, policy shifts, and relentless change. The danger is in pretending otherwise. Because when the external narrative says 'we're thriving,' but the internal systems are strained and the team is flatlining, it's easy to feel like you're the only one who hasn't caught up. That disconnect breeds shame. It also stops leaders from asking for the support, advice or clarity they actually need. We don't need more hype. We need more honesty. If we want to build businesses that actually last — not just look good on LinkedIn — we'll have to make space for truth alongside optimism. And that starts with calling the bubble what it is. Lanna Hill is the founder and director of Leverage Media Group.
West Australian
11-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA complains kids not ‘job ready,' calls for reforms to lift school standards
Frustrated businesses have warned WA's high schools are turning out more graduates who lack the basic skills and knowledge to make them 'job ready', putting the State's future economic prosperity at risk. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA is demanding reforms to lift school education standards. 'Lower education outcomes are a handbrake on productivity and a barrier to young people getting a start in the workforce,' CCIWA acting chief executive Aaron Morey said. 'It is extremely concerning that employers are, increasingly, finding school graduates are lacking basic skills and knowledge. 'If WA can lift the standards achieved by students when they finish high school, it will lead to better outcomes for those students and boost our economy.' A report released by the business lobby group on Saturday said industry stakeholders believed the 'primary purpose' of education was to deliver students who were 'workforce ready'. 'And based on this metric, WA's education system is not meeting expectations,' it said. The report quoted a trades training business which noted school leavers' literacy and numeracy levels were 'particularly bad'. 'Apprentices are often let go because they need to re-learn basic knowledge they should have learnt in school settings,' it said. Others deplored graduates' lack of basic digital skills, despite their familiarity with technology. 'Simple things such as writing emails and being comfortable communicating over the phone,' a health and community services sector representative said. The report said most employers wanted graduates who were able to communicate effectively — verbally and in writing — apply maths in real-world scenarios and think critically about their workplace. It criticised WA's School Curriculum and Standards Authority for adding more subjects into the curriculum, instead of focusing on critical skills. 'Students are just so overwhelmed with a smorgasbord of topics,' one business noted. '(WA has) the most crowded curriculum ever but the least resilient kids.' The CCIWA is demanding a raft of reforms to boost students' results, including a renewed focus on supporting teachers to use explicit instruction, a teaching method that breaks skills and concepts down into small, systematic steps, with regular checks for understanding. The report also called for a simplified curriculum, better collaboration between schools and industry and a strategy to build students' resilience. Education Department acting deputy director-general for student achievement Raechelle Lee said the CCIWA report contained inaccuracies when referring to declining academic standards. 'Results at WA schools remain high,' she said. 'In 2024, over 94 per cent of full-time WACE-eligible Year 12 students demonstrated the literacy and numeracy standard, with NAPLAN results also showing WA students performing at or above national levels in key areas. 'Literacy and numeracy are embedded in the curriculum from the early years through to Year 12, and WA led the nation by being the first jurisdiction to introduce a minimum literacy and numeracy standard requirement for senior secondary certification. 'WA's curriculum includes digital literacy, critical thinking, and ethical understanding as general capabilities, aligning with key skills sought by employers.' Ms Lee said changes planned for senior secondary education meant it would be better aligned with emerging workforce demands, especially in STEM and digital skills. 'The department supports a range of initiatives in schools to prepare students to become job-ready,' she said. 'This includes through Vocational Education and Training pathways, specialised career practitioners, support for school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, including working actively with training providers and employers to provide students with the opportunity to engage in industry-relevant training. 'Industry also has an important role in providing chances for students to do workplace learning — and we encourage industry to find ways to give more young people those invaluable opportunities to prepare for the future of work. 'Free career conversations events are also held across the State to give students and their parents accurate, up-to-date career pathway and labour market information, and the chance to hear from industry experts about post-school options and the evolving world of work.'
West Australian
29-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
WA economy: Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey shows stimulus-fuelled worker shortage remains
Almost one-in-five WA business leaders are heading to sleep at night worrying about Donald Trump's trade war and conflict in the Middle East, with their outlook on the economy getting gloomier. The number of bosses worried about tensions offshore has doubled since December, according to a fresh survey by lobby group the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA. Only one in four chiefs expect the economy will get better over the next 12 months, while 31 per cent think things will get worse — an increase of 7 percentage points. Months of uncertainty has led to growth downgrades across the world after America's President sparked shock in April with a major increase in trade taxes. Mr Trump soon back flipped and paused the scheme following financial instability. But the shadow of trade chaos looms large as the world hangs on a deadline of 9 July to negotiate deals. Western Australia's fortunes are unusually reliant on trade as about half of the State's economic activity is generated by exports. 'WA is a trading economy and the knock-on effect of the US tariffs and retaliatory tariffs have the potential to weigh on our economy,' CCIWA chief Aaron Morey said. 'Coupled with the Israel-Iran war, the impact on supply chains is a major concern for many businesses. 'Three in five (60 per cent) WA businesses (are) saying they expect their supply chains to be impacted by the tariffs.' The top worry for bosses remains the worker shortage, after a stimulus-fuelled inflation bubble coming out of the pandemic caused demand for staff to rocket. Almost two-in-three chiefs reckon skills shortages are a barrier to growth — with manufacturing, construction and resources hardest hit. Mr Morey seized on the survey to urge the State Government to cut payroll tax as a way to ease costs for companies and support job creation. There's still plenty of cause for optimism in WA. Unemployment remained below 4 per cent in May and the State's economy grew in the most recent quarter.
West Australian
21-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Joe Spagnolo: Roger Cook moves on from Mark McGowan's Labor
It appears Roger Cook is going all out to ensure the public is aware there is a new sheriff in town, and that Mark McGowan is well and truly part of Labor history. The current Labor government, in terms of office and administrative personnel, has little resemblance to the one McGowan presided over. Cook has, for example, replaced his entire media team and appointed a new chief of staff since the March election. And there was further evidence of transformational Labor in Thursday's State Budget. Labor has finally stopped banging on about McGowan's Metronet, although project chief Rita Saffioti still resides over the remaining elements of the rail project — now eight years old — as Transport Minister and Treasurer. Instead Cook, keen to leave his own legacy, is embarking on what he and Saffioti call a 'poles, pipes, ports and wires' era, which will see billions spent on new infrastructure, enabling WA to hopefully begin a new era of diversification, and safeguarding itself against its reliance on iron ore exports and China's economy. If McGowan's catchcry was Metronet, Cook's and Saffioti's is diversification. From here on, Labor will begin its Budget sell to the public, and in doing so begin the sell of a re-elected Labor Government keen on reinventing itself and positioning itself for a fourth term of government by winning the 2029 State election. But reinvention comes with political risk. And we've seen that in this Budget, with Cook and Saffioti rolling the dice and deciding to shelve Labor's annual power bill credits — which, incidentally, McGowan commenced in 2020. Remember as a kid you would sit around a Christmas tree eagerly awaiting your presents? You either loved the gifts or were disappointed once you unwrapped the offerings. CCIWA chief economist Aaron Morey loved what was under Saffioti's 'Christmas tree', citing Taylor Swift as he applauded big spends in ports, energy and water. 'A bit like Taylor Swift, the Government is shifting to a new era of infrastructure spend. We're moving from the Roads Era to the Industrial Era,' Morey said. But welfare groups are not singing Swifty songs today. In addition to power and water hikes of 2.5 per cent, car licence charges have gone up 3.9 per cent and driver's licence fees have gone up 2.9 per cent. These are not huge increases by any means. But the optics of these increases aren't great for a government that on Thursday announced a forecast $2.5 billion surplus for this financial year and a forecast $10 billion in surpluses through to 2028-29. 'We were disappointed not to see a total freeze on increases in fees and charges, particularly utilities, electricity and water, but also on transport licenses,' Anglicare WA Acting CEO & Director of Services Philippa Boldy said on Friday. 'By increasing fees and charges, people are getting further behind instead of getting an opportunity to move forward. If we take more money out of the pockets of people that are already struggling for the essentials they need to live, we're not being fair with WA's growth and the economic strength.' Sure: the Government has softened the blow by announcing other initiatives such as the capping of public transport fares to one zone, saving some families and estimated $625 a year. But getting rid of a measure that shaves about $400 a year from household power bills in the midst of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis is a big call. What Cook is banking on is that West Australians will accept that investing in the future of WA will reap big benefits for the adults of tomorrow and generations to come. This is a Budget for the future. And in that sense Cook and Saffioti need to be applauded for recognising the fact that the rivers of gold — courtesy of iron ore exports to China — may well dry up into the future. But more needs to be done to help WA's vulnerable who right now aren't singing Swifty tunes, but belting out 'Under Pressure' along with Davie Bowie and Freddie Mercury.
West Australian
09-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
West Australia could get an extra public holiday as state looks at syncing its system with the East Coast
West Australians could be treated to an additional public holiday next year as the state looks at aligning its system with the east coast. WA currently has the lowest number of public holidays in the nation, and usually has a day off one week earlier than its eastern state counterparts. The state celebrates WA Day on the fist Monday in June, then celebrates the Kings Birthday on the fourth weekend in September. Most other states and territories celebrate the Kings Birthday on the second weekend in June. Premier Roger Cook said his department was looking at realigning West Australian public holidays with the east coast so they were better synched. 'It is ridiculous you have a situation where Western Australia closes its doors or shuts the shop when the east coast is open for business,' he said. 'Today of course, you'll have frustrated members of the Western Australian business community that can't access their colleagues on the east coast. 'I'm reviewing the whole range of public holidays we have in Western Australia and where they land to make sure that we've got better alignment and that they work better for the WA community 'We are part of a national economy, and we should be working together much better to ensure better alignment around these days. ' CCIWA chief economist Aaron Morey said it was a good call from the premier but he did not support an additional public holiday. 'I think it's a good call from the Premier and lining up holidays definitely has public merit, how many birthdays does the king need?' he said. 'We're going to see some distraction today, the Melbourne Collingwood game on, I think people would rather be at home watching that.' But Mr Morey said he did not support having an additional public holiday in WA, which were huge headache for small businesses doing it tough. 'Someone might see a public holiday as a benefit, but for a small business, they just see another day when they have to pay $65 an hour for someone to wash dishes,' he said. 'It's really difficult for small business to navigate and to plan around public holidays, and so certainly not supportive of that concept.'
