Population growth figures show distribution of net overseas migration

Details

Created on Thursday, 12 January 2012 14:38

Written by Editorial staff

The latest information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has shown that certain destinations are becoming increasingly popular destinations for international citizens.

While New South Wales was shown to remain the most populous state with over 7.3 million residents, it was Western Australia that saw the highest growth rate in the 12 months prior to June 30 2011.

While WA lagged behind Victoria and Queensland in terms of total population - 5.6 million and 4.5 million respectively - it was the outright winner when it came to the percentage change.

Western Australia experienced a 2.4 per cent increase in residents in 2011, beating the ACT on 1.9 per cent and proving to be well above the national average of 1.5 per cent.

The ABS notes that more than half of this growth in population was the direct result of net overseas migration - with 53 per cent of the total increase attributed to foreign nationals residing in the country.

It could be that the increase in demand for skilled and semi-skilled labour in WA - the result of increased mining and resource project activities - is helping to drive the population growth recorded by the ABS.

According to a number of media reports, this would appear to be the case - with statistical analysis performed by The Australian on January 11 apparently showing that "migrants have been covering the gaps in the local labour supply since 2006".

The reporters have demonstrated that skilled international workers have been hired in 81,000 new jobs across the nation - 52,000 of which were located in WA.

These figures help to show the growing opportunities to be realised in the various resource projects currently underway in the state - and the fact that the local talent pool is struggling to keep up with demand.

However, the ABS data also shows that net overseas migration slowed over the last financial year, with a reduction in total international residents of 28,000 over 2010's figures - a 14 per cent difference.

This could indicate that Australia will be able to accommodate a larger number of migrants in the following year - in both long-term employment arrangements and shorter working holiday visas.

For immigration agents, the growth in employment opportunities for skilled international labour may mean an increase in business turnover over the next few months.