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Australia wants migrant workers
From: By Elizabeth Colman and Samantha Maiden
August 16, 2005
AUSTRALIA will launch the biggest global recruitment drive for skilled migrants since the "ten pound pom" campaign in the 1950s and 60s, as the Howard Government tries to attract 20,000 workers from across Europe and Asia to rescue key industries from labour shortages.
The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will next month begin a foray into the international jobs marketplace, with officials hold a series of expos in London, Berlin, Chennai and Amsterdam to spruik Australia's culture and lifestyle to foreign workers.
Tradespeople, engineers and doctors are believed to be among the most desperately needed. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Minerals and Mining Association have all been asked to nominate the occupations they consider the most in-demand.
The Immigration Department plans to advertise in overseas newspapers from September, inviting prospective skilled migrants to meet employers and state and federal government representatives at the series of expos as part of a $3million skills road show where officials will present options for migration under recently relaxed regulations.
Department acting deputy secretary Abul Rivzi said: "If you think about what we did in the 1950s and the impact that had on Australia, well we're doing it again."
But this time the Government hopes to tailor the campaign to meet specific labour shortages, Mr Rivzi said. "In the 1950s the immigration officers just went out and found these people, this time we are saying, you convince these employers that they want to employ you," he said.
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"Australian employers being asked to help in the global marketplace - the last thing we want is some country getting the jump on us."
After 1945, more than one million British citizens emigrated to Australia under various assisted migration schemes.
The department is considering hosting a further round of expos in 2006 in Bangkok, Seoul, Los Angeles and Manila.
The Queensland, South Australian, Western Australian and ACT governments have expressed the most interest in participating, with Victoria also publicising the events.
The campaign follows an announcement by the Howard Government earlier this year that skilled migration places in 2005-06 would be increased by 20,000, to combat Australia's skills shortages.
The 20,000-place increase is the biggest jump in the migration quota since the 1970s, with the Government offering migrants four-year employer or state-sponsored migration, with the option to stay on permanently.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will seize the opportunity.
"This is a good move because it's finally co-ordinating this sort of activity across a range of industry bodies and (state and federal) governments too," the chamber's director of education and training, Steve Balzary, said.
"We're going out to companies right now across our membership to get them to identify not only which companies are going, but which occupations they're looking for and which numbers.
Matching skills and employers on the spot was part of the attraction of the department's overseas posts.
"Particularly in places like Chennai, where you get a lot of interest but don't necessarily get the right skills, the Government is helping us get the message out," Mr Balzary said.
Recruitment events in London will take place in September, while Amsterdam, Berlin and Chennai will host expos in October.
The department has also hosted local seminars, with an event in Brisbane in June this year, and officials are planning upcoming events in Melbourne and Perth.
Meanwhile, Labor leader Kim Beazley has urged action to encourage Australia's 900,000 expatriates working overseas to return home or forge closer investment and trade links.
Describing the expat workers as an "untapped resource", Mr Beazley also warned a greater focus on innovation, research and development was required if Australia was to compete against low wage economies in the region.
Speaking at the AIG's national forum in Canberra yesterday, Mr Beazley said simple measures could deliver significant results.
"We should work much harder to capitalise on their links to trade, investment and overseas cultures - and perhaps encourage a few more to come home," Mr Beazley said yesterday.
"It's estimated there are up to 900,000 Australians working overseas on a permanent or long-term basis. That's almost 10 per cent of the Australian workforce." He said reforms such as a one-stop website for expats, an online register of Australians overseas and university/industry fellowships to encourage workers to return should be considered.
Greater collaboration between universities and industry groups was also required to foster innovation, he said.
"It gives us an edge in competitive global markets where we just can't compete against the low-wage economies in our region," he said.
"Giving priority to skills development also means more opportunities to learn trades at school. It means training Australians first, not turning them away from TAFE colleges, as the Howard Government has done to 270,000 Australians."
AIG chief executive Heather Ridout also suggested new reforms to skills training.
"The current traditional apprenticeship system was largely designed for another era, is hidebound in unnecessary regulation and complicated by overlapping state and federal responsibilities," she said.
Australia wants migrant workers
From: By Elizabeth Colman and Samantha Maiden
August 16, 2005
AUSTRALIA will launch the biggest global recruitment drive for skilled migrants since the "ten pound pom" campaign in the 1950s and 60s, as the Howard Government tries to attract 20,000 workers from across Europe and Asia to rescue key industries from labour shortages.
The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will next month begin a foray into the international jobs marketplace, with officials hold a series of expos in London, Berlin, Chennai and Amsterdam to spruik Australia's culture and lifestyle to foreign workers.
Tradespeople, engineers and doctors are believed to be among the most desperately needed. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Minerals and Mining Association have all been asked to nominate the occupations they consider the most in-demand.
The Immigration Department plans to advertise in overseas newspapers from September, inviting prospective skilled migrants to meet employers and state and federal government representatives at the series of expos as part of a $3million skills road show where officials will present options for migration under recently relaxed regulations.
Department acting deputy secretary Abul Rivzi said: "If you think about what we did in the 1950s and the impact that had on Australia, well we're doing it again."
But this time the Government hopes to tailor the campaign to meet specific labour shortages, Mr Rivzi said. "In the 1950s the immigration officers just went out and found these people, this time we are saying, you convince these employers that they want to employ you," he said.
Advertisement:
"Australian employers being asked to help in the global marketplace - the last thing we want is some country getting the jump on us."
After 1945, more than one million British citizens emigrated to Australia under various assisted migration schemes.
The department is considering hosting a further round of expos in 2006 in Bangkok, Seoul, Los Angeles and Manila.
The Queensland, South Australian, Western Australian and ACT governments have expressed the most interest in participating, with Victoria also publicising the events.
The campaign follows an announcement by the Howard Government earlier this year that skilled migration places in 2005-06 would be increased by 20,000, to combat Australia's skills shortages.
The 20,000-place increase is the biggest jump in the migration quota since the 1970s, with the Government offering migrants four-year employer or state-sponsored migration, with the option to stay on permanently.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will seize the opportunity.
"This is a good move because it's finally co-ordinating this sort of activity across a range of industry bodies and (state and federal) governments too," the chamber's director of education and training, Steve Balzary, said.
"We're going out to companies right now across our membership to get them to identify not only which companies are going, but which occupations they're looking for and which numbers.
Matching skills and employers on the spot was part of the attraction of the department's overseas posts.
"Particularly in places like Chennai, where you get a lot of interest but don't necessarily get the right skills, the Government is helping us get the message out," Mr Balzary said.
Recruitment events in London will take place in September, while Amsterdam, Berlin and Chennai will host expos in October.
The department has also hosted local seminars, with an event in Brisbane in June this year, and officials are planning upcoming events in Melbourne and Perth.
Meanwhile, Labor leader Kim Beazley has urged action to encourage Australia's 900,000 expatriates working overseas to return home or forge closer investment and trade links.
Describing the expat workers as an "untapped resource", Mr Beazley also warned a greater focus on innovation, research and development was required if Australia was to compete against low wage economies in the region.
Speaking at the AIG's national forum in Canberra yesterday, Mr Beazley said simple measures could deliver significant results.
"We should work much harder to capitalise on their links to trade, investment and overseas cultures - and perhaps encourage a few more to come home," Mr Beazley said yesterday.
"It's estimated there are up to 900,000 Australians working overseas on a permanent or long-term basis. That's almost 10 per cent of the Australian workforce." He said reforms such as a one-stop website for expats, an online register of Australians overseas and university/industry fellowships to encourage workers to return should be considered.
Greater collaboration between universities and industry groups was also required to foster innovation, he said.
"It gives us an edge in competitive global markets where we just can't compete against the low-wage economies in our region," he said.
"Giving priority to skills development also means more opportunities to learn trades at school. It means training Australians first, not turning them away from TAFE colleges, as the Howard Government has done to 270,000 Australians."
AIG chief executive Heather Ridout also suggested new reforms to skills training.
"The current traditional apprenticeship system was largely designed for another era, is hidebound in unnecessary regulation and complicated by overlapping state and federal responsibilities," she said.
