Skilled migrant shortage a sham: chief economist
Government claims that skills shortages require massive increases in the skilled migrant intake do not stand up to scrutiny, says MacroBusiness chief economist Leith van Onselen.
In his briefing note commissioned by Sustainable Population Australia (SPA), Mr van Onselen says there is little evidence of skills shortages in Australia. Certainly not enough to warrant employer groups and some government members angling to ramp up skilled migration to as much as 400,000 per year.
Of the more than 670 occupations listed as eligible for a ‘skilled’ visa, there is no requirement that any of them actually have a skills shortage.
"Moreover, half of the ‘skilled migrant’ intake is not actually skilled," claims SPA.
"Primary applicants make up only around half of the skilled stream and 30 per cent of non-humanitarian migration (including both skilled and family categories), with most of the remainder being partners and dependent children."
Mr van Onselen says Australia’s skilled migration program has been corrupted, arguing that while it was once a method for complementing the employment of Australian workers, it is now being used to create competition with Australian workers and lower their wages on a massive scale.
“Immigration is being used to suppress wages and claims to the contrary from business lobbies do not withstand scrutiny,” he says.
“Whereas supply shortages of everything, from petrol to food to desirable property, lead to soaring prices, no such wage growth is seen in Australia in response to claimed shortages.
“Allowing the mass importation of foreign workers circumvents the ordinary functioning of the labour market by enabling employers to source cheaper foreign workers in lieu of raising wages, as well as avoiding the need for training.
“High levels of immigration in the decade pre-COVID-19 contributed to stagnant incomes growth, lower incomes and employment prospects for both skilled and unskilled Australians, and detracted from the living standards of many Australian working families.”
SPA national president Jenny Goldie says the myth of ‘skills shortages’ had been pushed for decades by employer groups such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Despite decades of strong skilled migration whereby literally millions of foreign workers were imported into Australia, industry and the federal government continue to make identical claims about chronic skills shortages,” says Ms Goldie.
“These claims are no longer credible.
"Australians understand that rapid population growth has not been in their interests. It is time to rethink Big Australia."
How do you feel about 'Big Australia'?
We should keep the so called skilled migrants out and give every Australian a job. If they do not want to work, stop all benefits.