Groups Urge Australia To Increase Worker Migration

With its economy booming, jobs in Australia has increased significantly. However, while this is indeed a welcome news, many people are still worried that this might not be enough to meet the country's needs. As it is, there are actually many things that need to be addressed with the current worker demand of the country.

One of these issues that need to be sorted out is the government's stance towards increasing migration numbers. It should be noted that current Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said last year that she intends to reduce the country's current immigration rate by a significant amount. This, according to Gillard, is necessary in order to make Australia's population more manageable.

In fact, it should be noted that even before Gillard, the changes undertaken by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) on the various immigration programs seems to indicate this direction. In the past two years alone, the department has introduced tighter regulations with regards to the skilled migration visa. And, according to DIAC officials, there are still more changes to be implemented for the program in 2011.

However, many employer groups have said that these changes in the country's immigration program actually has a negative effect to Australia's worker needs. According to them, the tighter immigration policies have scared away many potential workers from applying. This, in turn, has contributed greatly to the worker shortage that Australia is currently experiencing.

Employers have also said that they have actually gone to great lengths to attract more workers into the country, including offering higher wages. However, while they said that they are more than willing to give higher pay, this would still be not enough to draw in people. They have also noted that very high pay would also be detrimental to companies, as it would surely burden them a lot.

Thus, companies have urged the government to rethink its current immigration policies. They have urged the immigration department to increase its intake to better meet the needs of employers. They have also pointed out that this can still be manageable, as long as these are used to fill up the most in demand areas.

Many groups have also said that the government needs to work more in improving the 457 visa. As it is, the 457, or temporary worker, visa currently serves as a major source of workers for many companies. Businesses have urged the government to make the 457 more flexible, such as increasing its duration and scope, in order to attract more workers.