Light manufacturing

The manufacturing industry includes those businesses involved in the production and refinement of goods.  This includes machinery and equipment production, the making of food, beverages and tobacco products, and printing, publishing and recorded media.  It also includes chemical and pharmaceutical production, the making of textiles, clothing, footwear, paper and packaging products, furnishing, building materials and the automotive industry.  The manufacturing industry comprises approximately 13% of all jobs in Australia, employing some 1.1 million people.  While growth has not been as strong as in other sectors, manufacturing continues to be the largest industry with a gross product of around $70 billion.  Because the industry is so diverse in terms of the goods produced and the types of employment available, the information about the industry has been divided into three sections:

• Light Manufacturing (Furniture, Textiles, Clothing and Footwear)
• Process Manufacturing
• Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services 

Characteristics and trends

Light manufacturing refers to thirty-three industries that are categorised as Furnishing and Textiles, Clothing and Footwear.  These industries are diverse and range from early stage wool processing through to the manufacturing of products and production services.  Specifically, occupations included are clothing and footwear tradespersons, leather goods, canvas goods, sail makers, sewing machinists, textile and footwear production machine operators, laundry workers, wood machinists and turners, cabinet and furniture makers, upholsterers and bedding tradespersons, glass tradespersons, laundry and dry-cleaning operatives, tannery operatives, furniture finishing tradespersons, picture framers, architectural glass makers and floor covering tradespersons.  The industry can be characterised by full-time employment, small, micro and niche market businesses and an ageing workforce in many industry sectors. 

Economic restructuring and globalisation has heavily affected all sectors.  As a result, some sections of the industry, such as footwear production, have declined to almost the point of non-existence, while others have sustained their market share through the development of niche markets and exporting.  Specific trends that create this change are the reduction of tariff protection, the increasing volume of cheaper imported products from low-wage countries and the shifting of production off-shore to countries such as China, Indonesia and India. 

Despite these trends, the Light Manufacturing sector continues to be a significant sector for employment and employs more than 200,000 people.  Most of the industry (95%) is comprised of small businesses that employ less than 20 people.  Industry priorities for the future include the need for business to be increasingly competitive, global in its outlook, technologically sophisticated and responsive to changing market and consumer demands. 

Employment

Employment opportunities in light manufacturing are diverse.  In furnishing, the largest employment opportunities are in blinds and awnings, floor covering and finishing, furniture making, interior decoration and design, and security grills and screens.  In Textiles, Clothing and Footwear, the largest employment sectors are clothing production and laundry operations. Other parts of the industry are declining or are very small and specialised fields such as toy manufacture, musical instrument making or stained glass and lead lighting. 

Where the jobs are located

Furnishing and TCF industries are located in all States and Territories.  However, NSW and Victoria in particular, have the highest concentrations.  Some industries have specific areas of concentration.  For example, cotton ginning is based in Northern NSW and Southern Queensland, furniture making is concentrated in eastern metropolitan Melbourne and textiles production and early stage wool processing is based in Geelong.

On the other hand, the production service industries such as floor covering and finishing, soft furnishings, dry cleaning operations, laundry operations and footwear repairs are evenly distributed throughout Australia. 

Qualifications, education and experience

You can work in light manufacturing industries without formal qualifications and you will probably receive informal training on the job. In the past, there has been little structured training across the industry but increasingly, it will be necessary to undergo structured training if you wish to progress within the industry. 

What an employer might ask

As with all jobs, there will be general questions that an employer will want to ask.  These include questions about your employment and education background, your interests, your understanding of the job requirements, your availability and your plans for the future.  Most jobs in this sector require practical manual skills, an ability to learn, reliability and ability to work to deadlines.  Following necessary occupational, health and safety procedures is also important in this industry. As such, a priority will be placed on your ability to be at work every day, to follow instructions and to get the job done within a reasonable time and quality level.  As with most jobs, a positive attitude to work is highly valued by employers. 

Employment conditions

Wages vary in this industry but at least minimum award provisions should apply.  Wages for an adult should range from between $11.00 – $17.00 per hour with penalty rates applying for casual employees.  Other standard conditions should apply including four weeks annual leave, ten days sick or carer’s leave and superannuation entitlements.   Wages and conditions vary, however, across enterprises, states and occupations and further information can be found at www.wagenet.gov.au. 

Conditions of employment also vary widely due to the dominance of small employers that make up the industry.  Ensuring that employers comply with award conditions across the industry is a major issue. This is particularly the case for the clothing, textiles and footwear sectors due to the use of outworkers who are often employed outside of any formal employment agreement and are commonly underpaid and work in unsatisfactory and unsafe workplaces.   Confusion over taxation issues and the payment of superannuation can result from this. 

Training

There are two training packages that apply within Light Manufacturing - the Furnishing Industry and the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear packages. Within the furnishing industry, qualifications are developed for the skill areas of floor covering and finishing, furnishing technology, furniture finishing, furniture making, furnishing, glass and glazing, mattress and base, picture framing, soft furnishings and upholstery

In the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear training package, qualifications are set out for clothing production, cotton ginning, dry cleaning operations, early stage wool processing, engineering, footwear production, footwear repair, headwear/millinery, hide, skin and leather processing, laundry operations, leather goods production, medical grade footwear, textile fabrication, textile production, textiles and clothing and footwear.


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