Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash
In September, the Australian government announced that the permanent immigration target has been increased to 195,000, up by 35,000, in this current financial year. The announcement was made after a two-day summit with a variety of authorities including the government, businesses, trade unions and industries. The hope is that it will help battle widespread staff shortages and reduce the country’s reliance on short-term workers.
After having closed the country’s borders for nearly two years because of the pandemic, and with an exodus of holiday workers and foreign students, businesses have been struggling to find staff to keep afloat. The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, believes that the reliance on short-term workers isn’t sustainable, with it making little sense to bring people in, have them stay for a few years, and then get a whole new cohort of workers that then need to adapt to the Australian work environment.
According to Albanese, the country needs people to come and stay permanently, to work, have a mortgage, raise their children, and join the Australian family. As a nation built on a foundation of migration, Australia’s historically strong population growth is drawn from both natural increase and net overseas migration, with almost 7 million out of Australia’s population of almost 25 million born overseas.
The planned increase will take effect for the current fiscal year, ending June 2023, and will bring Australia’s immigration target more in line with the annual cap of 190,000 that was in place between 2013 and 2019. That level was cut to 160,000 – a 15% drop – just months before COVID-19 hit, in an effort to counter urban congestion. While Australia’s unemployment rate is currently at a near fifty-year low, at just 3,4%, labour shortages have contributed to soaring inflation which has led to a reduction of real wages. An ageing population is also said to be exacerbating the problem.
Clare O’Neil, the Home Affairs Minister, has reported that nurses have been working double and triple shifts for the past two years, flights were being canceled due to a lack of ground staff, and fruit was being left to rot on trees because there was no one to pick it. The immigration system, therefore, needs to be reformed.
Australia isn’t the only country in a bid to lure more high-skilled immigrants in, with Canada and Germany also doing the same. Last month, Canada announced that it was on track to exceed its goal of granting permanent residency to more than 430,000, while Germany is in the planning stages of reforms in order to make itself more attractive to skilled workers.
Australia has always been a popular place for immigration. Its economy, quality of life, excellent education and healthcare system and temperate climate are among many of the reasons which make it an attractive option. It is said to be one of the most welcoming countries for immigrants of diverse cultural backgrounds, with clear regulations using a point system for permanent residency under the General Skilled Migration SkillSelect program and an education facility for eligible applicants from all over the world.
While there are plenty of reasons why Australia is an attractive place to live, nowhere is perfect and there are some drawbacks. While the standard of living is high, so is the cost of living. Australia is often ranked as one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in, due to a number of factors, including the high cost of housing, food, and transportation. Bush fires and dangerous weather are becoming more and more common, there are plenty of dangerous animals, and it even ranks pretty high in the world when it comes to levels of problem gambling or obesity. However, it still remains a top choice for many who are looking to start afresh somewhere new, providing plenty of good opportunities.
Before the country can take full advantage of the new immigration target, the Visa system needs to be sorted. A backlog in visa processing times has left about 900,000 prospective workers stuck in limbo, worsening the staff shortage crisis. In a bid to get on top of this, the government has pledged to spend $36.1 million to beef up its staff capacity, in the home affairs department, by 500 people for the next nine months.
Businesses and industries around the country have welcomed the government’s efforts.
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