Australia points out support to raise wages for temporary skilled migrants According to Reuters
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A sales assistant is seen through the window of a retail store displaying a job vacancy sign in central Sydney, Australia, December 5, 2016. Photo taken December 5. 2016. REUTERS / Steven Saphore
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia supports raising the income threshold for some temporary migrants, Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said on Sunday, as the government works to tackle shortages. staff nationwide.
Skilled migration was a focus at this week’s government jobs summit, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for compromises between employers and unions to address challenges. important economy of the country.
On Friday, the government announced it would increase permanent immigration to 195,000 this financial year, an increase of 35,000, to help businesses with staff shortages and reduce reliance on short-term workers. .
Staff shortages have been exacerbated recently by volatile visa processing times in Australia, leaving around a million potential workers stuck in limbo.
Speaking on ABC television, O’Connor said the government would consider raising the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, at A53,900 from 2013.
“I think that measure needs to be lifted,” he said, without commenting on whether the limit should be raised to A$65,000 under the policy of the centre-left Labor Party before the party took power. general election in May or not.
“These are complex issues and we need to figure out how we tackle each area,” added O’Connor.
Staff shortages, in both high-skilled and lower-wage industries such as aged care, have taken a toll after the COVID-19 pandemic closed Australia’s borders for nearly two years, along with migration of holiday workers and foreign students.
Australia’s unemployment rate is now at a near 50-year low of 3.4% and labor shortages have contributed to inflation that has driven down real wages.
Australia is struggling with other advanced economies, such as Germany and Canada, to attract more skilled immigrants, as the country’s aging population increases demand.
