Everywhere you look, you see it. Signs. “Position Vacant”, “now hiring!”, “no experience necessary!”, and so on.
So where are all the workers?
As at June 2023, the unemployment rate is 3.5% (source: Australian Bureau of Statistics) and most recent reports show that there are currently 432,000 vacant jobs and 515,000 unemployed people in Australia1. With so few jobs matching the skills of those hunting for a job, employers are struggling to fill their vacancies and in turn are looking further afield to locate skilled workers.
It is not unusual for employers to obtain their workers from overseas. In fact, one in three workers were born overseas, and one in five holds either a temporary or permanent visa.2
Australia has long been a nation supportive of immigration. Our successful history of bringing quality people to the country has enhanced the national skill set and brought other benefits including (but not limited to):
- achieving greater cultural diversity
- counteracting an aging population
- providing the skills we need
- making us economically stronger
- improving the workforce participation rate with relevant workers
Half a million people are planning to retire within the next 5 years3, as such it is expected that Australia skills shortage is only to worsen as the population ages. Further, this trend is being seen globally which has created a competitive landscape for countries looking for overseas workers. Fortunately, Australia is viewed as a favourable country for migrants who are seeking stable employment, good working conditions and a safe home life.
Migrant workers tend to be in their early thirties as opposed to the median working age of 444. This in turn provides employers with an opportunity to obtain younger workers with relevant skills who, if looked after properly, will be retained for long period of time.
Even though the government has taken positive action by lifting the migration cap to 195,000 people late last year5, employers are still finding the recruitment landscape challenging due to the complexity of the conditions to get a worker from their home country to Australia. Whilst more needs to be done to make the skilled immigration process simpler, it isn’t impossible and can in fact be easy when you have the right connections and know how.
Using an agent with a connection to both international recruitment and migration services provides employers with the certainty that they will not only gain a talented employee but will also be placed on the right visa that is cost effective and suitable for both the employer and employee.
Couple the benefits of loyal and skilled staff with the cost effectiveness of the right visa options against the current landscape, and it’s easy to see why businesses are looking beyond our own shores for their recruitment solutions.
Sources:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Job vacancies fall 2 per cent but remain high – 29.06.2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/job-vacancies-fall-2-cent-remain-high
- Grattan institute, Migrants in the Australian workforce: A guidebook for policy makers – 04.05.2022. https://grattan.edu.au/report/migrants-in-the-australian-workforce/#waypoint=overview
- Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Migration works for all of us Delivering benefits to all Australians – 12.2018. https://www.australianchamber.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FINAL-Australian-Chamber_Policy_Migration_WEB.pdf
- Australian Public Service Commission, APS employment data, 06.2021. https://www.apsc.gov.au/employment-data/aps-employment-data-30-june-2021/appendix-1/table-86-all-employees-average-age-year-2002-2021
- The Guardian Australia, Australia raises permanent migration cap to 195,000 to ease workforce shortages – 02.09.2022. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/02/australia-raises-permanent-migration-cap-to-195000-to-ease-workforce-shortages