Abstract:
The report Australia's Workforce in the Year 2001 (DEET 1991) mapped out the implications of a range of economic, demographic and educational trends for Australia's workforce and student population in the year 2001. It built various scenarios based on assumptions about the economy, micro-economic reform, occupational trends, demographic trends, labour force trends and educational participation. One area of particular interest was the interaction between changes in the occupational structure of the work force and the skill base of the workforce. This was examined in two ways. First, the issue of skill shortages in particular occupations was analysed. Second, the skill level of the workforce, defined in a very general way, was considered against a background of increasing educational participation. This paper outlines the methodology used in the report and discusses its findings.