VMA TOURS METRICS ROADSHOW

The Visual Media Association is touring its Annual Industry Metrics Survey around the country, sharing the results of the survey, enabling print businesses to benchmark themselves.

The Metrics Roadshow has been hosted at Ricoh showrooms in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney last night, and will make its final stop, in Brisbane, tonight.

In addition to reporting the findings of the Metrics Survey, the events are exploring the concept of selling the value of print, engaging customers, and the effectiveness of print media, and are providing tips on how to approach your sales.

Kellie Northwood, CEO of VMA said, "Numbers attending have been good, printers are engaging. Benchmarking and best practices are achieving a lot of interest, as is the sales booster seminar."

Henryk Kraszewski, senior product manager, commercial and industrial print at Ricoh, said, "As a major supplier to the industry Ricoh is keen to support print businesses. Having the data is valuable to printers, and to the industry as a whole. Ricoh is delighted to host the events, and to provide support for the Survey."

Printers attending the events have been given first-hand figures from the industry, as well as forecasts, which the organiser VMA says are ‘preparing your business for improved success in 2025 and beyond’.

The Metrics Survey has benchmarked industry salaries, skills and training levels, and shortages, operational practices, industry challenges, and breaks down the market into various customer groups.

The VMA revealed that the total number of people employed across the visual media sector – print, paper, packaging, mail and distribution – has remained unchanged over 12 months at 229,000, with the number of businesses in the sector also almost identical, growing by 0.05 per cent, 21 companies, to 4435.

The gender ratio is also moving, with 42 per cent of employees now female, compared to 36 per cent last year, with Northwood saying that print is taking on more female apprentices than almost any other industry, with apprentice numbers themselves growing, some three quarters of business in the print and visual media sector now have an apprentice.

Northwood said, "Since we got print back on the apprentice priority list (AAPL) apprentices numbers in the industry have grown strongly, up by 30-35 per cent. The Survey also highlighted the fact that print is a well paid industry, only two per cent of business pay the Award rate, everyone else pays over it. This is good news when we are looking to attract apprentices."

Print remains an owner-operated sector, almost nine in every ten businesses, 86 per cent, are in that category. Staff in print are receiving more than the Award rate, with only 2.5 per cent on that level, while one of five receives more than 20 per cent above the Award rate, compared with one in twenty last year, reflecting the challenging labour market.

Half of the businesses in the industry hold no external certification, while a quarter have ISO9001, according to the Metrics Survey.

All participants at the Ricoh-hosted events received a comprehensive copy of the 2025 Industry Metrics Report. The VMA also plans to make Sales Booster seminar that formed part of the event available to all members.

“The Annual Industry Metrics Survey is more than just numbers – it’s about understanding where we are as an industry and paving a clear path forward. This initiative strengthens individual businesses while building a collective foundation for future success,” Northwood concluded.