Skill shortages in Australia
Skill shortages in some areas in Australia
The following discussion on skills shortages in Australia is taken from an ABC radio interview on March 4, 2009
As the global financial crisis deepens, immigration and labour are big challenges for government.
Skilled migration to Australia has been crucial during recent boom times. But as the economy slows, the challenges to fine-tune the right mix of skills for Australia’s workforce are more complex. Recent analysis by the Clarius Group identifies several areas where skill shortages are still a drag on business – but that could be in for drastic change.
Presenter: Matthew Abud
Speakers: Professor Graeme Hugo from the University of Adelaide; Kim Quick, Clarius Group Executive General ManagerABUD: Australia’s shortfall in skilled workers remained high in the December quarter, but has dropped around nine percent. That’s according to the Skills Index put out this week by the Clarius group, which found one hundred and ten thousand skilled positions couldn’t be filled by the end of last year.
But even though the demand for skilled labour is still strong, it’s expected to fall much further as the global financial crisis bites. Clarius Group Executive General Manager Kim Quick.
QUICK: Obviously this result was really tapping into the beginning of the downturn, where there was still a little bit of conservatism around decision-making. I think the next quarter’s results will really start to show what a difference has been made on these different sectors. In some areas we expect supply to exceed the demand.
ABUD: At the moment, chefs top the shortfall list, with only around ninety percent of jobs filled. Yet while chefs have the highest percentage, health professionals are among the highest number, with twenty-one thousand more needed in that sector. Skilled migration has been one pillar of government policy to meet immediate needs. Yet four of the top ten areas experiencing shortages are in trades – which are not met by Australia’s migration program, according to a recent Department of Immigration report.
What does all this mean for prospective migrants from Australia’s Asian neighbours?
Professor Graeme Hugo at the University of Adelaide says migrants from Asia have played a big role in filling skill shortages in recent years – especially from India, China and the Philippines. Yet while Australia probably has the right tools to manage immigration, getting the best balance can be difficult.
HUGO: There are real problems in specifying significant shortages in a specific area because by the time the migrants arrive that shortage may no longer exist. We’ve had a history of that in Australia of people taking twelve months eighteen months or so to go through the migration system and by the time they come the shortage in their particular area may have disappeared.
ABUD: Professor Hugo believes a better balance between targeted and general skilled migration is the challenge for policy-makers, together with the right training programs inside the country.
HUGO: Some countries attempt to really micro-manage their migration systems and specify particular types of jobs that they want to fill. Other countries have a more generic system whereby they have a point system or something like that which actually assigns high levels of points to people with high levels of training, rather than necessarily specifying a particular area.
ABC radio provides a wide range of discussions, such as the above article on the skills shortage in Australia, where you can listen to Australians speaking and follow the text. This is a good way to improve your English and become familiar with the Australian accent.
I am a mechanical engineer who has expertise in manufacturing management. I am already 44 years old turning 45 next year. My skills assessment has been lodged recently, assuming that I can lodge my visa application prior to changes in SOL, is there a possibility that the visa processing can be put on hold if the government chane their immigration policy?
Anthony- Most certainly. You have two choices at this point. If you stop you will certainly not be able to emigrate to Australia. If you keep going there is still a chance of success.
Hello Ian,
I am Madan, I have a degree in Industrial Engg and Mgmt from a reputed university in India. I have a work experience of 2 years and 9 months all in IT. I have no experience in the field i graduated from. I have an IELTS score of 8.5,7.5,7,7.5. I have completed my CDR with respect to my experience in IT industry and i have sent it across to Engineers Australia.
My only worry here is that i have no relevent experience in the engineering field i have graduated from. What are my chances of getting a positive assessment from Engineers Australia?
Madan – I would say you have zero chance. You CDR to Engineers Australia must demonstrate your skills relevant to the engineering occupation you are applying for migration as. Youwill look like an IT professional.
Hello,
I’m a 27 years old, I have a BSC. Of civil engineer & work as a site engineer with a three years experience, I want to ask about the requirements & my chance in immigration to Australia. And if I want to do a master there & come on a studying visa can I work as an engineer while holding a studying visa & thanks.
Islam – Your chances if abtaining a skilled visa should be good if you have good experience to enable you to write a good CDR to obtain accreditation of your qualifications. I do not know why you would want to pay the high fees to do a higher degree. The higher degree will not hgelp you get a job if you have no Australian work experience. It would be better to come here and work in your profession for a couple of years and assess what further studies would help you achieve your career goals.
You need to talk with a migration agent about visa conditions. Only Queensland requires engineers to be registered. So you should be able to work if you can get ajob.
I’m a recent graduate with a Mechanical Engineering degree from an accredited US university, and have a year of experience working for the Engineering and Public Works department of the City of Chandler, Arizona, USA. I have begun the skilled migration assessment process with Engineers Australia, but have been reading conflicting information about the ability of migrants to find employment. Some places on the net say it’s relatively easy, others say just the opposite. What are the real-world chances of being able to find work?
Thank you.
Brian – My normal advice for any professional wanting to travel overseas is to get at least 4 years experience before you set off. With this much experience you are at a level where you can be productive quickly. This makes you much more attractive to employ becuase you do not need training in the basics of working as an engineer.
The current job situation is not great, but things seem to have bottomed out in engineering. I would expect it may take 18 months to get back to full gear, but there will be growing opportunities in the infrastructure area oner the coming year.
Major reasons migrants have trouble finding employment is that they have failed to prepare properly. People who struggle to get work are those who do not adapt to the way to get a job in Australia. We do things differently down under snd migrants have to adapt to succeed.
You are off to a good start as you are a native English speaker. You are also on the right track getting your qualifications assessed by Engineers Australia. Your next steps are to create an Australian style CV and learn how to find a job in the Australian market place. Really smart people line up a job before they jump on a plane. Project Australia provides all the information you need to succeed. It was written specifically for you (and everyone like you wanting to work as an engineer in Australia.