Hundreds of thousands of migrants have come through Australia’s skilled migrant program. But we are wasting many of their skills.
Mike Cannon-Brookes (centre), and Scott Farquhar (3rd L), co-founders and CEOs of Atlassian Software Systems, smile during its successful entry into the Nasdaq in New York.
Australian tech firm Atlassian has recently warned that changes to 457 visas threatens to stunt industry growth. But is there more Oz tech firms could be doing to cultivate local talent?
If you live in a rural area, you would never think Australia had too many doctors.
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Australia has more doctors per population than most comparable countries, yet many living in rural and remote areas don’t receive the care they need. Changing the way we train doctors will fix this.
International student visa allows you to work up to 20 hours a week.
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By abolishing the 457 visa program the government has targeted a fraction of the problem, leaving the bulk of the temporary migrant labour force unchanged.
Pauline Hanson knows how to hurt. She tweeted this week: ‘When you look at Bill Shorten’s recent rhetoric it seems Labor is now taking its cues from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. Good to see.’
The majority of 457 visa holders are skilled workers.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Business Briefing: breaking down the 457 visa myths
The Conversation16.4 MB(download)
Policies targeting the 457 visa workers scheme aren't going to improve the employment prospects for low skilled workers and Australia's unemployed, an expert says.
Australia takes in about half of all working holidaymakers who enter OECD countries.
AAP/Dan Peled
Unscrupulous employers who exploit migrant labour are posing a large threat to the continued contribution that immigrant workers make to the agricultural industry, a new report reveals.
Thanks to Four Corners we now see the human face of migrant workers.
Dan Peled/AAP
Australia’s current interest in the work temporary migrants do is laudable but needs to extend to other important issues of this million-strong community.
In the hospitality sector, employers are 13 times more likely to prefer 457 visa workers than similar Australian workers, data shows.
George Alexander Ishida Newman
New analysis shows that some employers readily admit they use 457 visa workers even when there is no skills shortage in their sector, suggesting that tougher regulation is needed.
Australia has the second-highest number of immigrants – in relative terms – among OECD countries, according to a new report.
AAP/Dan Peled
Immigration is a political hot potato. On the day the OECD published its latest annual survey of global migration, Swiss voters rejected a referendum to reduce annual migration numbers. A few days earlier…
Debate around skilled migration can degenerate into political footballs.
AAP
It seems the broad debates around migration, and often skilled migration, are little different from one country to the next. The United States is currently considering sweeping migration reforms that include…
Backpackers and international students provide a significant source of labour that is often long-term: but this is ignored by policy makers.
While 457 temporary visas are currently under political scrutiny, thousands of other temporary migrants are now able to work in Australia for extended periods - most notably through working holiday visas…
Changes to 457 visas by the Gillard government has divided political and public opinion in Australia.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The current public debate over temporary employment 457 visa holders has thrown a spotlight on a major shift in Australia’s migration program. Historical context Prior to the introduction of the Temporary…
Most 457 visa holders are well-paid professionals or in management.
AAP/Angela Brkic
With all the fuss over 457 visas in recent weeks, and prime minister Julia Gillard due to address the issue at a conference today, it’s worth looking beyond the cries of vested interests and politicians…
Australia’s boom investment conditions will begin tailing off by 2014, according to a Deloitte Access Economics report - so what does this mean for current labour shortages?
Much public discussion around the current mining boom focuses on the lack of qualified staff to fill an expanding employment market. But yesterday’s report by Deloitte Access Economics warning that the…
The Council has its work cut out to facilitate a rational, evidence-based debate about Australian migration.
Wenxiong Zhang
The announcement of the formation of a Migration Council of Australia and its launch by the Governor General on August 1, confirmed by Department of Immigration and Citizenship official Gary Fleming at…