AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Immigration adds to 'brain gain

Saturday, 1 March 2008

Thanks to immigration, Australia has found it a breeze to fill more than half (53.9%) of the country's full-time jobs created over the last 12 months.

As Australian employers ran out of qualified local-born people to fill 240,000 job vacancies, migrants have been brought in from far and wide to fill these positions of jobs created over the past 12 months.

They're increasingly relying on new arrivals from Britain, China and India, as well as more established immigrant groups such as Southeast Asians and New Zealanders.

English-speaking migrants are benefiting the most, especially those from New Zealand, Britain and Ireland.

According to detailed breakdowns released in a survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, migrants account for just 28.6% of the nation's working age population.

Hairdresser Vanessa McCartney, 41, is a classic example of a migrant who already had work lined up for her when her plane from London arrived in Perth last July.

Seven months later, she left that job and was rehired that very same day by a salon in the northern Perth suburb of Innaloo.

She said: "Not having to struggle to get work has taken the stress out of moving countries."

Bossanova Hair Studio owner Vera Caminiti explained that finding an experienced, eager worker such as Ms McCartney was a relief, because never had it been more difficult to find staff in her 25 years in the industry.

Ms McCartney's husband, Mark, who ran his own business as a refrigeration mechanic in southeast London, started work on the couple's third day in Australia.

If you would like to live and work in Australia, why not do our free online visa eligibility assessment to find out for which visa you qualify?