Labour availability was close to the top of the list of issues keeping business operators awake according to the June 2022 the South Australian Business Chamber William Buck Survey of Business Expectations. With the holiday season ahead of us, the pressure will be on businesses in the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors like never before to find people to fill casual and permanent roles.
The Government of South Australia, with the flair and expertise of the South Australian Business Chamber corporate member Fuller Brand Communication, has launched A New State of Mind campaign across the east coast to provide an understanding of what SA has to offer, drive consideration as a place to live and, in time, attract young global talent to make the move and call our state home.
We now operate in a competitive global labour market. Australia must find ways to make it simple and attractive for international workers to enter and stay in our country. The current system is complex, with over 70 unique visa programmes handled by an outdated processing system. The Australian Government is investing in more staff to speed up the visa processing backlog, but what needs to change to get Australian businesses the skills they need?
A number of initiatives have been proposed by the Federal Government to try and address this.
There is a new proposal to extend the opportunity to achieve an Australian qualification while living in your home country overseas. Those qualified could then be fast-tracked for entry into Australia with either a temporary or permanent visa.
Our three South Australian universities have international partnerships to deliver their qualifications, and the South Australian Certificate of Education is offered as a pre-university program at over 25 international secondary schools in China, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia.
The call is to now offer our VET programs in South-East Asia, with Indonesia and India as priority countries. The Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor, announced that with significant federal investment, international workers could obtain Australian qualifications in trades, retail, hospitality, technology, administration, health and the care industries.
As welcome as a scheme like this will be, it still does not address the immediate problem. However, there is something that does – the Graduate and Post Study 485 visa.
Research by the Australian Financial Review reveals that many employers lack understanding of the 485-visa and its work entitlements. It was reported that employers are filtering out applicants with 485-visas, preferring those with permanent residency or citizenship.
How does the 485-visa work? the South Australian Business Chamber recently partnered with Study Adelaide to deliver an informative session on how to employ international graduates. From an employer’s perspective, this works just like hiring a local. It is the graduate who applies for the 485-visa, no sponsorship required, and, in South Australia, based on their qualification level they then have full working rights for a period:
The Federal Government has announced that they will be extending these working periods for post-study applicants for a limited period to assist in filling our skills shortage. While on the surface this is a good idea, it does not go far enough to solve the problem. The South Australian Business Chamber, along with the other chambers of commerce around the country, has written to the Minister with a call to tap into the existing supply of international graduates to help address Australia’s workforce shortages.
We want all current temporary graduate visa holders, of which there are more than 100,000, not just future graduates, to be allowed to stay and work longer. Further, these longer visas should be extended to graduates of any discipline, not just limited to select degrees as planned. This will boost the workforce where VET qualifications are just as, if not more, valuable than university degrees, in sectors such as such as tourism and hospitality.
Not only does migration help fix our fundamental skills shortage, it also brings cultural diversity to the workplace and instant overseas connections that may result in new market opportunities.
If you have experiences to share relating to attracting international workers, please look out for the upcoming September quarter the South Australian Business Chamber William Buck Survey of Business Expectations, where we ask a range of questions on this topic. This information will assist us to understand what you need and advocate on your behalf.
If your business is looking for diversity training, please contact the South Australian Business Chamber’s Training Manager Cindy Jackway at cindyj@business-sa.com.
