Australia Skills Shortage Hits Companies Pockets
23/05/2008 by Robbie Ragless
The increasing skills shortage being experienced by Australia is costing companies millions as they are forced to turn down lucrative work due to the lack of suitably trained and skilled staff.
The shortage which has led to the implementation of key Australian immigration initiatives, in order to recruit overseas workers whom possess the desired skill sets and talent, is now hitting the companies' profit margins directly as the hunt continues.
Australia has reported having to turn down major contracts as they desperately seek skilled staff. Although a new country Australia is experiencing an ageing population, which is having a detrimental impact on the countries big businesses.
Many employers are seeking workers from abroad as the shortage takes hold of Central Australia. South Africa, New Zealand, India and the UK are all playing a part in the global marketplace where highly skilled individuals are being touted for work.
Australia is an ever popular choice for immigration due to their strong economy and work opportunities, particularly with those from Britain wanting a fresh start; however with the lack of skills set so vast, the country is struggling to fill the abundance of job opportunities which require occupying by such people.
According to a report by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, the current levels of immigration are still not sufficient in relation to work level meetings.
Australia is actively tackling this problem with plans in place to speed up the current visa scheme. This will enable those skilled in sectors such as medicine or mining, skills in short supply at the moment, to enter the country quicker.
Another step is extending the skilled migration programme which will see numbers of applicants rise by 6000 places to 108, 500 this year.
The rising cost to companies is not only emerging from them being forced to turn down work, in addition they also have to pay higher costs for recruitment with bosses flying overseas in order to interview applicants. Another expense hitting the pockets of Australian business is the rising wage salaries which skilled migrants are being able to request. A number of reports have shown that the wages of new skilled workers have increased inline with demand.
Michael Atkinson an Australian Immigration Worker from company www.globalvisas.com says " Australia is sure to feel the demand for skilled workers on all levels, however they seem to be attracting great interest from workers wishing to migrate and the new procedures I'm sure will help ease the problem. Australia has a lot to offer especially with its calm lifestyle and warm climate."
USA
UK
Australia
Canada
South Africa
New Zealand
Ireland
India
China
Philippines