National Water Skills Audit - Australian Water Association

4.2 Aggregation of Audit FindingsWater Industry Workforce Profile Current/2009WSAA SACES CEET (2006 data)• Water utilities have arelatively old workforceand therefore a relativelylarge number ofimpending retirements,and issues aroundknowledge transfer andsuccession managementstrategies.• There is a high turnoverof civil engineers, whichaccounts for about 10 percent of the water utilitiesworkforce.• The current workforceis highly experienced,but relatively inflexible.There is a dominanceof permanent, full-time,older and long-tenuredemployees.• Characterised by full-timeemployment. Only 3 per centof employees are engaged on apart-time basis, with over 33 percent of part time employees inbusiness support roles.• Operators is the most commonjob family at 34 per cent of total.• A reasonably highly skilledemployment profile, 22 per centin a professional occupation, 9per cent in a paraprofessionaloccupation and 18 per centtradespersons. Civil engineersalone account for 10 per cent.• The workforce is relativelymature, with 23 per centaged over 45. EnvironmentalParaprofessionals have the oldestprofile with 57 per cent agedover 45, followed by CorporateManagers and OperationsManagers. EnvironmentalEngineers are the youngestoccupation, with only 4 per centaged over 45.• Managers and Science/Technology Paraprofessionalshave very aged occupationprofiles, whereas for ScienceProfessionals; Tradespersons andOperators, fewer than 20 percent are aged over 45.• About 25 per cent of all people working in the waterindustry were either managers or professionals andanother 25 per cent were technicians or tradespeople.• The industry also employs significant numbers ofpeople in machinery operators and drivers and labourersoccupations.• The Water Supply segment employed a much higherproportion of professionals and correspondingly lowerproportion of technicians and tradespersons than theother two sectors (Sewage & Drainage and Heavy &Civil Engineering Construction) and furthermore theirqualifications were generally at higher levels.• The Water Supply segment employs a significantnumber of chemical and materials engineers andenvironmental scientists and geologists but hardly any inthe other two segments. This segment also employed asignificant number of science technicians.• Most construction and engineering managers were male(94 per cent) and 75 per cent were aged 35–64 years.• The single biggest professional occupation in the threesectors is that of civil engineers and 80 per cent hadhigher education qualifications.• About 9 per cent of civil engineers were female.• The age profile of civil engineers approximates that forthe workforce as a whole.• Of tradespersons, metal fitters and machinists,plumbers and electricians are the most common.• Metal fitters and machinists are generally older thanelectricians and plumbers.• Mobile plant operators were employed in the threesectors. While about half of them had no qualifications,most of the rest had a Certificate III or IV. A relativelyhigher proportion of those who worked in the WaterSupply sector had qualifications.• Most stationary and mobile plant operators are male.• All three segments employ substantial numbers oflabourers.Summary comments• WSAA segment most closely identified in 2006 Census data as water supply and sewerage and drainage services, confirmed inCEET analysis.• Non-WSAA segment shows differences from WSAA segment, including lower age profile, much lower proportion of businesssupport staff.• Heavy Civil Engineering and Construction is relevant to water sector and other sectors as well.ICE WaRM • National Skills Audit (Phase One) Report 51