New report highlights an aquatic workforce that provides essential community leadership

A new National Aquatic Industry Report, published by Royal Life Saving on behalf of the National Aquatic Industry Safety Committee (NAISC), comes at a critical and challenging time for the aquatic industry, which has been significantly impacted by Australia-wide closures following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The pandemic has led to a loss of employment, or a significant reduction in hours, for many of the 67,000 frontline workers, of which almost half are casual employees, three-quarters are female and 40% are between the ages of 18 to 24 years. The sector faces an estimated $900m in lost revenue and $430m in lost wages in the six months to September 2020.

The report analyses employee insights relating to working life, professional development and future needs of those working in the aquatic industry, a sector which contributes directly to community health, wellbeing and safety, and is thought to provide $2.8 billion in health benefits each year.

It recommends innovative strategies, centred around training and mentoring programs, to enable workers keen to pursue a career in the industry to learn about and move between a range of roles. This would create a cohort of multi-skilled workers that have a stronger connection to the employer and greater engagement with the industry through more permanent full- and part-time opportunities.

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Download the National Aquatic Industry Report

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