Australia's economy is booming now. Driven by its booming resource and mining industry, the Land Down Under has become a welcoming haven for those people looking for work who have the required skills and qualifications that are needed in Australia.
With billions of Australian dollar-worth of projects that need to be completed, and with billions worth more on the pipeline, Australia is now having a skills short that is threatening the completion of these projects.
Short Term and Long Term Outlook
Australia's escalating skills shortage is currently placing the nation's industries in the firing line, driving Australian employers to look overseas for its job recruitment.
With Australia's mining state alone set to generate an extra 170,000 jobs over the next five years, the mining and resources sector set to create 90,000 jobs in the industry by 2016, and the demand for temporary construction workers expected to peak at 80,000 in 2014, Australia's buoyant mining and resource sector is set to grow jobs and economic prosperity for the short-term. However, it has become doubtable that the current Australian labor force can cope with the sheer scale of the skills needed to complete the record mining and resources investments totaling in bills.
As an additional 33,000 workers will be required over the next few years in the Western Australia resources sector with the majority of positions being skilled trades people, engineers and metallurgist, IT, and geology professionals, Western Australia alone is expected to need almost an extra 500,000 workers by 2020. Australia's log-term labor market situation will certainly continue to drive job recruitment, locally and overseas.
A Call for Urgent Action
Australia's mining states' Chamber of Minerals and Energy along with its entrepreneurs have been calling on the government to undertake urgent steps to address these skills shortages. They even warned that unless urgent steps are taken to address the ongoing skills crunch, the nation will miss out on the full benefit of the resources boom.
Now, the Australian Federal government has undertaken necessary actions to address these labor problems. Just recently, guidelines were announced for the Enterprise Migration Agreements which will enable companies with resources projects valued at over $ 2 billion, and with more than 1500 staff, to source foreign temporary workers more easily.
Moreover, the Australian government has also done re-classifications of certain territories and regions to be included as a regional employment hardship area under its Regional Promoted Scheme Scheme (RSMS). This is done in an attempt to offset the acute skills shorted triggered by Western Australia's burgeoning mining boom.
The RSMS will provide Australian employers with another easier avenue to recruit the skilled workers who need from overseas as they will be given a chance to compete for some of the 16,000 skilled working visa for Australia offered each year under the scheme. It will also give skilled temporary work visa to Australia holders a more streamlined pathway to permanent migration.
Currently, the Australian government is making the needed reforms and upgrades on its Australian visa requirements for workers as well as on its Australia migration visa policies and processing. This is done to better address the current labor problem the nation is facing.
Australia: A Perfect Chance for Chance
With these current labor and immigration situations, it is now the perfect chance to cash in and benefit for work and financial success.
With many job opportunities along with great and high compensation packages on offer, it is now the perfect time to apply for a visa in Australia and work Down Under.
