Immigration 'an important part of Australian workforce development'

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Created on Monday, 11 March 2013 18:24

Written by Editorial staff

Immigration is a central part of workforce development in Australia, according to one business expert, although it is vital to combine this with effective upskilling of home-grown talent.

Jenny Lambert, director of employment, education and training policy at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), said this issue has been in the spotlight recently due to the political debate surrounding temporary 457 immigration visas.

She remarked: "Australians should not be concerned that the valuable skilled migration program, including temporary 457 visas, detracts from the primary goal of opportunities for Australians.

"Skilled migration is just one important component of a total workforce development task facing this country."

Her comments came as the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) released a new report outlining a range of key issues facing the country in terms of employment.

The Future Focus - 2013 National Workforce Development Strategy focused on a number of areas in which the nation will need to concentrate if it is to effectively deal with skills gaps predicted in the coming years.

Training quality, literacy and numeracy, management and leadership, employment participation and labour mobility were just some of the factors the report highlighted as being potential challenges.

"In a week where the issue of skilled migration and 457 visas has become a political football, the strategy reminds us that the focus is on skilling Australians for work," Ms Lambert explained.

AWPA said an additional 3.5 million people will enter the Australian workforce within the next 12 years, with a need for higher education qualifications growing at a faster rate than low-level skills.

By 2025, three out of five jobs will either be professional, technical or managerial, while 70 per cent of the country's labour market will have post-school qualifications.

However, shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison claims Gillard's government is failing to provide adequate focus in this area, instead deciding to demonise employers for hiring people on temporary visas.

"Skilled migration has been a key driver of Australia's economic performance," he explained.

"The prime minister's enthusiasm to trash talk our skilled migration programme by demonising 457 visas demonstrates that she has truly lost her way."

According to Mr Morrison, this approach is merely to distract attention away from Labor's "border failures", with more than 1,500 people having already arrived in Australia illegally this year.

An effective skilled migration scheme not only promotes the country's economic interests, he concluded, but also protects against skills gaps in the future.