Australia’s small and medium businesses rate shortages of skilled labour as their biggest challenge, a poll by Telstra has found.
Telstra’s survey of territory winners and finalists of its 2011 Business Awards found almost one in five Australian businesses listed skill shortages as their biggest concern, while higher business costs, managing cash flow, increased competition and the Australian dollar also were presenting challenges.
Skills shortages is the biggest concern for 18 percent of respondents, followed by higher business costs (16 percent), cash flow (11 percent), increased competition (9 percent), red tape (7 percent) and the higher Australian dollar (7 percent).
About 43 percent said – surprise, surprise – that lowering company taxes is the most important thing that the Federal Government could do to better support small and medium enterprises, followed by cutting red tape and compliance costs and elevating the Minister for Small Business to a Cabinet position (both 12 percent).
One in five businesses said they would switch to cheaper energy sources and 23 percent said they would use or introduce technology such as videoconferencing to minimise travel in response to emissions reduction measures.
