Engineers Australia comments on 457 visa program

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Created on Thursday, 16 January 2014 15:33

Written by Editorial staff

It's not just the Australian Industry Group that's worried about skills shortages - Engineers Australia has also submitted a report to the Productivity Commission that discusses the growing problem.

The report also contains some facts and figures about the 457 visa program, which may be of some interest to migration agents and employers looking to host skilled migrant workers.

In the year to July 2013, the number of engineers who came to Australia on migration visas reached a record high, according to Engineers Australia.

In fact, it was much higher than the number of engineers who were recruited from overseas before and during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) - when, the report states, Australia was on the brink of "severe engineering skills shortages".

The vast majority of these engineers arrived on 457 (temporary work - skilled) visas, which are designed to let skilled migrant workers live in Australia for a maximum of four years.

In order to be eligible for the 457 visa, a person must be sponsored by an approved business and have the necessary skills to undertake a job featured on the Skilled Occupation List.

A range of engineering jobs were included on the Skilled Occupation List in 2013, indicating that Australia does not have the skilled workers necessary to meet the demands of this sector.

Unsurprisingly, given the rate of technological developments, it appears the software engineers are the most in demand - and have been for the past 10 years. In 2012-13, a total of 1,020 software engineers came to live and work in Australia on 457 visas.

Following this, civil engineers and mechanical engineers were also frequent users of the 457 visa program in 2012-13. A total of 642 civil engineers and 612 mechanical engineers disembarked on our shores during this 12-month period to help reduce skills shortages.

The Engineers Australia report adds that between the census years of 2006 and 2011, skilled migration "accounted for over 70 per cent of the growth in the engineering labour force".

Nevertheless, skills shortages are still plaguing engineering companies all over the country. A survey conducted by Engineers Australia in 2012 revealed that, of the employers who responded, 31 per cent said they had difficulties recruiting skilled workers.

In some cases, these difficulties led to project delays and extra costs.

If you're interested in working as an engineer in Australia, get in touch with a migration agent today to discuss your visa options.