AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Australian job boom a double-edged sword

Friday, 16 November 2007

Australia enjoys one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the world, with some states at full employment. However, the steady growth in employment has lead to a severe shortage of skilled workers.

The shortage of skilled workers is set to be one of the few things that could seriously hamper Australia’s economic growth. Large-scale projects, especially those in the construction and natural resource sectors, may not be able to move ahead due to a lack of labour.

Big business in Australia is already pushing hard for changes. Australia’s resource companies are already lobbying the major political parties to relax immigration laws so that they can more easily lure workers from abroad. One of Australia’s largest resource firms, Woodside Petroleum, has called on the winner of Australia’s election on November 24 to make it easier for immigrants to come to Australia.

Immigration can be the answer, too, for medium and small business who are equally affected by the skills shortage, but lack a strong lobbying voice. Businesses can sponsor workers from overseas under the Business Sponsored 457 scheme. However, the process can be challenging for a small firm without professional assistance.

Australia’s small and medium business are looking to internal training, retention policies, and increasingly engaging the services of Migration Consultants to help them through the process of importing labour from overseas. A combine approach, immigration assistance and comprehensive staff retention incentives, may be the only answer for Australia’s skills shortage, for small and large business alike.