Businesses urged to provide Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry feedback about child care shortage impact

The Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry is urging the business community to take part in a survey about child care demand.

The short seven-question survey aims to help the ACCI gather information about how the child care shortage is impacting business in Albany so it can better access resources.

Chief executive Kristen Pyrz-Brown said it was part of an effort to help underutilised skill sets in Albany return to the workforce given difficulties in bringing new workers to Albany.

“In the same way we’re working with school and training orginisations to get more young people to fill skills shortages, we’d also like to see those who are without adequate child care options and who want to work, have access to the jobs that are available,” she said.

“Our members and the broader business community are crying out for employees with such a low rate of unemployment.

“We’re really trying to think outside the square on how to access the resources we have here whilst housing people looking to move into the city is so difficult.”

The survey results will help the ACCI better advocate for Albany businesses already in the child care sector which are trying to attract funding as well as allowing those businesses to develop suitable plans for growth.

“It also points to the real need — in our discussions with the child care providers in the City, there are in excess of 350 children on their waitlists at the moment,” Ms Pyrz-Brown said.

“Potentially, a number of the parents are wanting to get back to work or increase their hours to provide for their families and pursue their career goals as well as have a family life.”

She said she had already had a number of conversations with businesses that indicated the lack of child care openings was a “barrier to people in Albany engaging in the workforce to the capacity they wish to be”.

The survey can be completed online via the ACCI website - https://bit.ly/3pioFWf and will remain open until Friday.

Ms Pyrz-Brown said the chamber would also welcome emails detailing the challenges employers were facing “retaining, re-engaging or expanding the hours of an employee due to their limited access to child care”.

Queries can be sent to marketing@albanycci.com.au or by calling 9845 7888.