POLL: Catch-up migration - good or bad?

Im also a skilled migrant (albiet with english as a first language).
Thats wonderful you don't know anyone who had a hard time finding work in thier area of specialty, but alI wouldn't go so far as to claim that as simply the norm.

I'm not against skill migrants, I am against a system that encourages migration where particular 'skills' may not actually be in demand, or with reasonable investment could be met locally.

 

Nothing wrong with this approach but we just end up with too many low-skilled workers as a result. If you are happy for your kids to earn a below average aussie wage, that's entirely your choice.

Not sure how old your kids are but the routine you sarcastically described is 'bare minimum' even in Australia for any year 12 to have a decent shot at entry in any university program and of course they have to work a lot harder for a half decent engineering or medicine program.

I think the trouble with your 'preferred approach to schooling' is that we are producing way too many low skilled, low wage workers and have to end up relying on migration.

 

Isn't the bigger problem at the moment not enough hospo staff to run the pubs?
Thats whats keeping me awake at night so at least let the backpackers back in I say!

 

I don't think immigration is a property investor central topic, but at the margins.

Belief systems are at the heart of responses.

I know plenty of Aussies support fruit pickers from Pacific nations, but query skilled workers. When in fact skilled workers are great, and maybe if some Aussies picked fruit .... well .....

For me I love diverse workplaces, skilled especially. So I would love to see immigration ramp up.

Not totally due to property, but more globally.

Unfortunately in our world security remains an issue, so I can see that being a legitimate brake.

My 0.2c

 

Agree that diversity can be great... provided amalgamation can be managed.
My partner works in STEM with some theoretically sounds minds from around the world. Unfortunately the cultural acceptance of a youngish female running the show and 'less than optimal' english skills significantly detract from what many of her highly skilled collegues can actually offer.

 

Well that is a symptom of a problem that needs to be addressed, I know a woman who won't work in engineering because of sexism, no migration issues there.

There are many instances where women feel unfairly treated at work, especially finding they are not equally accepted.

Luckily there are people via their actions creating better pathways!

I guess true for ppl whose first language other than English.

I hope skin colour not still an issue. My recollection of Darwin is positive...although some regions ( north qld? ) are less progressive.

Amalgamation is an interesting term. Yeah we all gotta work on getting along regardless of .....

 

I don't like when people blame others for their own life circumstances.
If someone migrate to Australia with a skill that was on the list without checking what are the prospects of actually getting a job in the field - that's their problem. Due diligence cannot be ignored for major life decisions.
However, I'd appreciate it if you could state a profession on the skilled migration list that is not really in demand in Australia. I'm not aware of such profession and I reckon that if someone with the correct skillsets couldn't get a job - they are doing something wrong. Nothing to do with the fact they are migrants.

This post of yours shows where the problem is....
The "bare minimum routine" of my kids led to my eldest (who will be year 10 next year) doing her first VCE subject in year 10, and was offered to take 2 VCE subjects.
She also playing around with the idea of future career that will require her to get ATAR of at least 99%.
Wouldn't call that "low skilled".

I myself, when I was a kid, led similar lifestyle.
I barely did any homework and had full afternoons that had nothing to do with school.
Haven't stopped me from getting into the best technical uni in the country and graduate my engineering degree.

Education, knowledge, ability and motivation are not about strict education and working hard.
A much better way to teach someone is to make them engaged and develop healthy curiosity in life.

 

Just another note; it is well documented in research that the highest correlation between children getting into higher education is their parents.

Kids to parents who attend uni - most likely will go to uni.
Way less than the school they went to or even their peers.

 

You have a choice to mock the hardworking Asians or accept the fact that an average 15 year old Chinese student is 3 years ahead in science & math than an Australian student and you can see why China is now leading the world in technology.

 

My own is/was!
(not how I came to be in Australia however)
That provides some decent first hand experience to know the problem isn't a lack of local talent, its a lack of industries enthusiasm to invest in onboarding new graduates or to meet the pay demands by experienced staff.

Other casual conversations with my friendly Uber drivers seem to be related to science and IT fields of whatever discipline. Im sure some have a hard time getting thier qualifications recognised in Australia, others probably lack the required networks or connections.
Eitherway, if there really was a shortage I'm sure every skilled migrant would be inundated with job offers.... unless of course there wasn't really a shortage at all.

 

Not mocking. I said it make me sick. Much worse.
As I said before, and you find it quite hard to grasp - I'm not impressed with 15 years old that can solve nonlinear equations while playing Bach on a piano.

I way more impressed with kids who have a wide life experiences; they study, they do sports, they camp, they exercise their social skills in different friendship groups, they trying and testing their sexuality, they cry, they laugh, they get hurt, they recover.
You know, the human beings you can talk to and you feel there's someone in there, rather than a robot.

My poor Singaporean friend, happen to have a kid who is a bit cheeky. Nothing over the top.
The teachers, from year 1, made them understand they will need to find a place for their "problematic" kid. Yeah. Much better!

 

You miss the point that for many of these people the priority is simply getting to Australia.
That they will not work in thier profession is of secondary importance.

My gripe is that the system ignores this reality. We cant have a system thats all chefs and no cooks so I dont accept we should prioritize the highly skilled if they are not infact needed.

Anecdotally it seems what we really need right now is hospo staff and ag workers, not another nuclear physicist, hence my post about allowing backpackers to return.

 

That's not really stating a profession, is it?
It's not like we know what you do...

But I'll go with the hints and assume it's IT.
I'm in IT. IT is broad, but I've never had any issue finding a job.
My Linkedin full of offers and when I decided to entertain few, there was real offer behind it.

It might be my skillset, my current position and the company I work for or the fact that there are jobs.

If someone has a very specific area they skilled in, and there are not many offers in the market, what stopped that person from starting their own business?
If there are no other competitors in a certain field - you'd be laughing.

Sorry, not buying it.
Those who want to work - work. And no - they don't have to drive Uber.

 

Then lets just assume that despite being highly skilled individuals with plenty of avaliable work in thier field they are obviously Ubering by choice.

I don't doubt you have your own experiencies, but I wouldn't be so blind as to suggest ones own is nesscarily the norm.

 

No, I didn't miss anything.
I just think that this statement is BS.

You have no idea what happens to those who migrate to Australia and what was their motivation.
Trying to paint a picture that almost 200,000 people who are coming to Australia as skilled are looking just to "escape" their miserable reality in their home country has nothing to do with reality.

How do you know?
Again, you speak from your own knowledge based on what data?
I mean, there are people who do this for work. They actually have the data of what is needed today, in 5 years and in 20 years.
Policies are build upon it.

To this point, Australia became what it is mainly because of those policies.
It's not because of European gold rush miners.

It's quite interesting to see people saying that brining highly skilled, instand-noddle professionals in is somehow bad.
It's almost like saying that hiring a highly skilled people to your company is a bad move. Better upskill your floor workers to become engineers.
It's possible, but it takes time, money and in many times - the floor workers are just incapable of becoming highly skilled.
Not everybody has the ability.

 

And people who smoke or abuse alcohol and drugs have nothing to do with their habit.
I have no idea why a skilled person will drive Uber.
Uber is known to be below minimum wage. A skilled person can do low-level jobs and earn more.

There are jobs in Australia. For those who want to work - there are options.
Why people choose to drive Uber is beyond me (unless the model fits them in whatever way).

 

It did when I was working for Immigration in a past life. Australia is great place that many people in the world would move to if they could, I would say one of the top ten 'if you could live anywhere' destinations.
You yourself mention how much more difficult the immigration process is nowadays, thats not a coincidence.

 

I'm all for immigration, the poster title is "skilled shortage", but in reality it's more a push for cheap workers.

pay better wages for job with high vacancy ?

hearing shouts for 457 visa cheap cheap workers....

yet these are low paying jobs.
I've worked in both (and could easily go back) but it's often remote work/out of hours/weekend work that pays bugger all, so stuff em, it's time people in these and many other low paid roles were renumerated better !

 

Job prospects are quite good for experienced and skilled IT migrants given the reduction of outsourcing last couple of years due to covid.

Traditionally its hardly ever been easy though as the "no local experience" barrier plays a big role rightly or wrongly. Pre covid it would still take a new entrant a few months to break through on average as one job advert on seek was getting 100+ applications however now those numbers are a lot lower.

Also some international students really struggle after they graduate while on the 485 visas which is why they work in retail, uber etc despite having completed Masters degrees.

Either way I think people outside of recruitment tend to have a very narrow view of job market reality as they only see it from their own lens rather than the holistic picture causing the debates like above

 

Haha what a thread.
I believe once immigration improves, the lack of quality in the current talent pool will reduce.

I also don't think we need people who were tortured to finish their degrees to come here and start a company to put everyone’s mental health at risk.

Nah not worth it. There must be more checks and balances on cultural fits before letting someone in.
Just my 2 cents