With just over a month to go to the end of December, I am left with mixed emotions from the highs and lows of the past 10 months as we look forward to finally being able to put the year of 2020 firmly behind us! We still live in a very uncertain and volatile world where our external environment will have a significant impact on our economy and how we are able to conduct our business in WA and the South West.The BGCCI has also had to reset and re-structure so that we can focus on the challenges that lie ahead of our business community. I am delighted to welcome our new CEO Kristy Gillian, who is currently working through her induction period and first month at the BGCCI. We are also re-working our business plans for the next quarter ending 31 March 2021, which will allow us to reset our budget and business plans for FY2022.Warmer weather has lifted the spirits of our communities and it is particularly encouraging to see the increased number of patrons in our hospitality and retail sectors as we enter the Christmas season. Many of our business sectors are reporting increased levels of interest and activity across their markets. The hospitality and their related tourism and events sectors are still the most impacted communities due to restrictions on inter-state and overseas travel.The economic and support stimulus measures at both a Federal and State level continue to drive increased demand for services and resources and have had a major positive impact on our region, businesses and communities. The Chamber and our Regional Stakeholders continue to drive infrastructure spend and capital investment preferencing for our local economies and businesses.The region is experiencing a shortage of students and employees to take up the numerous trainee and apprenticeship offers currently available across multiple sectors. The demand for skilled workers and all trades has also increased. All our stakeholders are working on initiatives with our education and training institutions on the jobs and skills task force to address these issues.There has never been a better time to train, up-skill or cross-skill in our region. The pipeline of work continues to grow so we remain positive that this demand will continue for several years ahead of us.The Regional Chambers of Commerce are all committed to work together to rebuild and revitalise our regional economies within the State’s Economic Recovery Plan.Rob SkipseyBGCCI President23 November 2020
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