The State of Project Management from the Australian Institute of Project Management in Australia included a survey of over 300 diverse Australian project professionals in July and August last year.

Just under a quarter of those surveyed work in information technology.

The report found that 73 percent of respondents said their projects are impacted by staff shortages, and 52 percent reported delays due to difficulty finding key skills needed to complete a project.

The survey found that this problem is exacerbated by supply chain disruptions around the world, with 44 percent of respondents saying their projects are affected.

Simon Kaleski, acting CEO of the Australian Institute of Project Management, said the report shows Australian companies need to prioritize efforts to make the sector more exclusive and adopt innovative solutions.

“The broad effect of skills shortages and supply chain disruptions is placing tremendous strain on the project management profession,” said Kaleski.

“These report findings increase the need for innovative and inclusive ways to get more people into the profession and to retain and upskill existing talent.

“The C-suite leaders and decision makers should consider attracting emerging talent. Mentoring and professional development are key focuses for their organizations.”

The talent crisis is likely to get worse for project managers as well, as the survey shows that 40 percent of respondents have been working for more than 20 years and are likely to be nearing retirement.

“The labor shortage will only worsen with the aging of the workforce,” the report said.

“Organizations must employ innovative and inclusive ways to attract people to the profession and to retain the experienced and qualified professionals already in place.”

Worryingly, the report shows that while the skills shortage is widespread and has a direct impact on businesses, many are doing nothing to address it.

More than 40 percent of respondents said they’re not doing anything to attract new talent, or they don’t know what their company does.

Partly due to the skills crisis, the well-being of employees has taken a hit. Just under 40 percent of respondents said stress and burnout are on the rise, while just under 30 percent said their own stress and burnout are on the rise.

One way to help attract new talent is to look at more flexible team resources. But the survey found that less than a quarter of respondents do so, a figure that the report says should rise significantly.

The report also found that environmental, social and governance (ESG) have a greater impact on project managers, with 62 percent expecting these requirements to affect their projects and programs going forward.

Numerous reports have recently identified the dire state of the skills shortage facing Australia, and the impact it is having on the health and wellbeing of workers and the ability of local businesses to operate.

That was revealed in a report this month Inequality in the workplace is on the risewidening the gap between managers and their staff.

This was evidenced by 55 percent of senior and executive leaders surveyed who said their expectations are met by their company, but only 33 percent of managers and junior employees said so.

In an effort to combat the skills crisis, the federal government recently Added 10 additional IT occupations to the official skills shortage listwhich helps inform Australia’s migration and development policies.

The new professions that have been added include web developers, database administrators, and business analysts.