The right direction

The right direction – key Jobs and Skills Summit reforms and doing business by Chris Carman

Last week wrapped up with the much-anticipated Jobs and Skills Summit at Parliament House. It was clear that migrants will continue to play a huge role in Australia’s future and that the Australian Government recognises the importance of international talent as part of the solution to the current labour crisis. As a result, there were some positive outcomes for employers, visa applicants and students, illustrated by the first wave of hopefully more positive reforms to come.

Real, fast-moving value

Working Holiday Makers – from our perspective, a critical area of opportunity for businesses relates to Working Holiday Makers. This category may make most people think of young backpackers, and they are certainly in the mix. However, with an age range up to 35 years, a Working Holiday Maker can easily have up to 15 years’ experience, in-demand skills and impressive education and training. Employer incentives, like paying for flights and visas, are just one way to help fast-track the arrival of this cohort in time for our globally lauded Summer.
Student visa work conditions – when borders were closed, relaxing student work conditions was a great initiative. It’s welcome news for employers and students that this initiative will be extended to at least 30 June 2023. This enables Australian employers to access what was previously an underused talent pool in the Australian community to fill vacancies. It will also be a great incentive to attract new students to our shores, armed with the knowledge they can work better hours to help support their (growing) study and living expenses.
Extending post-study work rights – recent graduates of selected degrees in areas of verified shortage will be granted an additional two years of post-study work rights. This is another great initiative to entice high-value international students to study here. With full work rights via temporary graduate visas, these international students can stay in Australia and support Australian employers plug the skills gap.
Real, slower-moving value

Visa backlogs – $36.1m in additional funding was committed by the Federal Government to clear the visa backlog and accelerate visa processing. The benefit of this funding will take some time to filter through and have a material effect on processing times. Nevertheless, it’s a necessary and good step forward.

Increased permanent migration cap – the permanent migration cap will be lifted to 195,000 for the 2022-2023 financial year. The Government has already committed to prioritising the processing of nearly 60,000 skilled workers currently living offshore. It’s a great start, but many of the skilled migrants who have applied for permanent migration have family and commitments that will likely not enable them to arrive quickly. After having their visas granted, it will take some time for them to plan the move and permanently migrate to Australia. It’s a positive for sure, but a slower-moving one.

The good news for businesses and recruiters desperately seeking talent is that there is an army of skilled and unskilled workers who already have approved visas and are expected to make the move to Australia in the coming weeks and months. As far as we’re concerned, the smartest person in the room is the one that starts positioning job opportunities with them before they leave their home country.

If you need to advertise a vacancy to migrant workers, take a look at WorkinAUS – your direct line to international talent.