Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing 1

Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing

Employment
The Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing sector employed around 18,100 people across Victoria. The vast
majority of employees in this sector were in Polymer Products (17,500).

Overall, Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing represented 6 per cent of total Manufacturing employment in
Victoria, and 0.6 per cent of total employment.

By 2016-17, current forecasts suggest a decrease in employment of 400 workers, with 300 of them expected in the Polymer
Products Manufacturing element of the sector.

Figure 1: Employment, 2011-12 level and 2016-17 change forecast



Occupations
Table 1 shows the top ten occupations ranked by average annual employment requirements between 2011-12 and 2016-17.
This figure includes both net employment growth to 2016-17, and replacement demand (for example due to retirements or
exits from the industry).

The occupation with the largest forecast average annual employment need in the Polymer Product and Rubber Product
Manufacturing sub-industry is Plastics Production Machine Operators. There were 2700 workers in this occupation in 2011-
12, and approximately 160 workers are required on average to meet net employment growth and replacement demand each
year.

Other occupations that are expected to have substantial average annual employment needs in the Polymer Product and
Rubber Product Manufacturing sub-industry include:

Production Managers - an additional 70 workers required each year.
Forklift Drivers - an additional 50 workers required each year.
Advertising & Sales Managers - an additional 30 workers required each year.


The Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing includes the manufacture of polymer products such as tyres,
adhesives, paints and polymer film, as well as natural rubber products.

Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing 2

Table 1: Top ten occupations by employment needs, 2011-12 and 2016-17
Occupation 2011-12 employment
total
Average annual
employment needs
Forecast employment
growth to 2016-17
Plastics Production Machine Operators 2,700 160
Production Managers 1,170 70
Forklift Drivers 800 50
Advertising & Sales Managers 590 30
Manufacturers 330 30
Metal Fitters & Machinists 690 30
Purchasing/Logistics Clerks 470 30
Sales Representatives 490 30
Storepersons 590 30
Motor Vehicle Parts Fitters 250 30


Vacancies
Figure 2 shows the average number of vacancies advertised online in Victoria over the past two years for key occupations
in the Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing industry.

Figure 2: Online vacancy advertisements by key occupations


Forklift Drivers were the most frequently advertised positions across Victoria, with an average of 286 advertisements per
month in 2012, declining since 2011. Note that this will cover a number of industries, and not just Polymer Product and
Rubber Product Manufacturing.

Metal Fitters & Machinists and Production Managers recorded a decline in the number of vacancies per month at around
194 and 179 respectively, (based on the January 2013 monthly vacancy rate compared to January 2012). These trends will
be tracked closely by the Department over 2013.



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Questions for Industry

1. Were there any posts that you were not able to fill in the last year? If so, for which jobs, and
why could you not fill them?
2. Which jobs are you likely to recruit for in the next year?
3. Are there any jobs in new areas of your business that you think you might be recruiting for
in the next two-three years?

Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing 3

Vocational Training
There were 5,300 enrolments in vocational training courses related to Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing in
2012 - a 41 per cent increase from the previous year.

In 2012, Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing related enrolments accounted for 13 per cent of all
Manufacturing enrolments in Victoria, and 1 per cent of enrolments across all industry-specific qualifications.

Figure 3: Enrolments in the Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing industry, 2008 2012



Table 2: Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing enrolments by occupation, 2008-2012
Course 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Factory Process Workers nec - 300 1,100 3,700 5,200
Plastics Production Machine Operator (General) 250 150 100 70 150
Plastics Technician 60 80 20 20 30
nec = not elsewhere classifed

In 2012, the largest number of enrolments was in courses aligned to the occupation Factory Process Workers, with 5,200
enrolments (97 per cent of all Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing enrolments).

Courses aligned to the occupations Plastics Production Machine Operator (General) and Plastics Technician accounted for 2
per cent and 1 per cent of enrolments, respectively.

The most popular Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing qualification in 2012 was the Certificate III in Process
Manufacturing, which saw 5,100 enrolments. A full list of vocational training courses by enrolments for the Polymer Product
and Rubber Product Manufacturing industry can be found in the Appendix (Table 3).


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Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing 4
Figure 4: Enrolments and training provision by location



In 2012, there were 42 vocational training providers in Victoria, delivering 7 courses related to Polymer and Rubber Product
Manufacturing across 102 different locations, and 14 providers delivering non-location specific training, for example online
training.

Of all 2012 enrolments, 52 per cent were delivered in the Melbourne CBD and 41 per cent across the remainder of the
Melbourne Metropolitan area. In regional Victoria, 1 per cent of all 2012 enrolments were delivered in the Hume region, less
than 1 per cent in the Loddon Mallee region, 4 per cent in Barwon South West, less than 1 per cent in Gippsland and 1 per
cent in the Grampians region. A further 1 per cent of enrolments were delivered online/non-location specific.



Questions for Industry

If you currently utilise the vocational training system in Victoria:
1. Which courses are critical to your business, and why?
2. Are there any courses that you have used in the past, but can currently no longer
access? If so, which ones, and why can you no longer access them?
3. Identify up to three things you find most useful about the courses you currently utilise,
and up to three things that you would like to see improve.

Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing 5

APPENDIX
Table 3 shows a full list of the vocational training courses aligned to the Polymer Product and Rubber Product
Manufacturing industry, its funding band (see definitions) and enrolment numbers for 2011 and 2012.

Table 3: Full list of courses by enrolments
Course name Funding
band
Enrolments
2011 2012
Factory Process Workers nec 3,700 5,200
Certificate II in Process Manufacturing E
Certificate III in Process Manufacturing E
Plastics Production Machine Operator (General) 70 150
Certificate II in Polymer Processing B
Certificate III in Polymer Processing B
Plastics Technician 20 30
Certificate IV in Polymer Technology B
Diploma of Polymer Technology C
Advanced Diploma of Polymer Technology C


Please contact DEECD with any questions or comments:
Wendy Timms, Executive Director, Market Facilitation & Information Division, DEECD:
(03) 9651 4758 or timms.wendy.j@edumail.vic.gov.au
Lee-Anne Fisher, Director, Market Information & Analysis, DEECD:
(03) 9651 4461 or fisher.lee-anne.h@edumail.vic.gov.au
John Spasevski, Director, Market Facilitation, DEECD:
(03) 9651 4758 or spasevski.jovance.j@edumail.vic.gov.au

Sources of Data
Figure 1 and Table 1: Monash, Centre of Policy Studies, Employment Forecasting Model, June 2012. All figures are rounded

Figure 2: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, monthly vacancy data by State/Territory. Includes counts of
online vacancies newly lodged on SEEK, My Career, CareerOne and Australian JobSearch. Data shown is three-monthly averages, and is
not seasonally adjusted.

Figures 3 4 and Tables 2 and 3: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Government-funded enrolments, accredited
(state or national) qualifications only (excludes foundation training), March 2013. All figures rounded are rounded.

Definitions
Replacement demand and new employment: Replacement demand is the number of workers in a particular occupation required to
maintain existing employment levels in that occupation, i.e. to replace workers that retire or leave for any reason. Net employment growth
refers to additional jobs in a particular occupation that are added to the workforce over and above the existing workforce. Replacement
demand in a particular occupation will always be there, and can sometimes be quite high, even if the occupation overall is not adding any
new jobs, or may even be reducing in number.

Enrolments: A course enrolment indicates a funding-based enrolment by a student in at least one module within a specified course at a
registered vocational training provider.

Funding Bands: As part of the Refocusing Vocational Training reform from July 2012 five funding bands for government subsidised training
were introduced. Under these arrangements, higher rates have been attributed to foundation and apprenticeship qualifications (in general
band A) and lower rates to Diplomas and above (where income contingent student loans are available) and to lower-level Certificates where
direct vocational benefit is lower (in general Bands D &E).