AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Skilled immigration could earn you an above average wage in Australia

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

A recent report by the Department of Immigration has revealed that overseas workers mainly in higher skilled areas are earning wages well above their Australian counterparts.

For example, IT workers in the communications trade in Australia are now earning an average of AU$ 25,000 more per annum than local employees.

With a strong Australian dollar overseas workers are now reaping the benefits of Australia's temporary work visa scheme that allows workers across all industries to work in The Lucky Country for up to four years.

The figures from the Ministry of Immigration indicate that a large majority of Australian employers are providing favourable conditions for their foreign employees.

Professor Phil Lewis, a labour market expert from the University of Canberra, has confirmed that the evidence seems to suggest that the 457 workers are not being paid less than Australians, and that the averages show that they're actually getting paid more.

He then concluded that it seems to indicate that employers are actually doing the right thing by hiring people for the wage commensurate for their skill - a wage very similar to what they'd be paying Australian workers.

The 457 visa, which allows an Australian company to sponsor an overseas worker, has been pivotal in helping to curb a chronic shortage of skilled and unskilled workers in Australia.

Professor Phil Lewis, Director of the Centre for Labour Market Research at the University of Canberra, agrees that the 457 is essential.

He’s explained that he’s done some studies of looking at what the skilled gaps are, and has concluded that if it wasn't for the overseas workers, Australia would be in a huge mess in terms of trying to meet its capacity constraints.

Lewis warned that any attempt to cut back on these pros could have very severe effects on inflation and Australia’s ability to keep up its export drive.

If you are interested in immigration, and would like to live and work in Australia, find out which visa you qualify for by doing our free online visa eligibility assessment, which will deliver instant results!