Groups are calling on the government to tap into the younger, foreign talent market
Different business groups have joined forces to urge the federal government to tap into the supply of international graduates to aid the country in overcoming its employment shortages. In a media release, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) revealed that its various state and territory chambers united to submit a “three-point approach” that would propose changes to visa restrictions for more than 100,000 existing overseas graduates working in Australia. The groups applauded the federal government’s decision to extend the post-study work rights of future international student graduates by two years.
This is a crucial first step in increasing Australia’s international student market competitiveness and strengthening the skilled labour pipeline, the media release said.
The three-point approach
Employers who joined the groups’ call seek to widen the eligibility of the said student-workers and are collectively advocating for the following:
- Allowing current temporary graduate visa holders, not just future graduates, to stay and work longer
- Extending additional work rights to all graduates, not limited to select degrees, for at least the next financial year
- Extending temporary graduate work visas by an additional two years to boost the workforce where university degrees are not required
Making all graduates eligible, rather than only those with specific degrees, acknowledges that firms in all industries are confronting significant workforce shortages, the groups said.
Extending eligibility for temporary graduate work stream visas will aid businesses like tourism and hospitality, which are currently suffering acute shortages and where the majority of credentials are below the level of a bachelor’s degree, they added.
“The workforce need is here now, and keeping existing international graduates in Australia for longer would be an immediate boost to available labour for critical jobs in key sectors,” ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar said. “These international graduates stayed in Australia through the pandemic, and we should recognise that commitment rather than excluding them. It’s a win-win. By encouraging international graduates to extend their stay, businesses will have more access to critical skills in an extremely tight labour market.”
HRD reported on the government’s plans for international students at the Jobs and Skills Summit last month. A spokesperson for the ministers for home affairs and education, Clare O’Neil, said that “nursing, engineering, and IT students will be top priority areas.”
“They’re the graduates that the government believes Australia needs, and they can go straight into a sector where there is a shortage of high-skilled workers,” O’Neil said.
