ACS has called for prioritising IT workers’ visas while rejecting automatic approvals for employers in its submission to the Federal Government’s skilled migration review.
In ‘A Migration System for Australia’s future’, ACS flagged the importance of skilled migration to Australia’s economy and society while recommending a revamped system that targets specific skill areas.
Australia’s IT sector is particularly dependent on skilled migration as the nation looks to fill 1.2 million technology jobs by 2027, according to ACS’ 2022 Digital Pulse report.
“In the short term, IT professionals need to remain a high priority for migration inputs and processing,” ACS said.
“Technology touches every business and every industry, it is a key enabler of productivity growth, and Australian employers are desperate for skilled professionals to fill in gaps left by a weak domestic pipeline.”
ACS acknowledges the current visa system is causing problems for Australian employers but flagged a system allowing business to automatically bring in workers subject to minimum salary levels would not resolve this issue and instead recommends giving priority to the skilled migration stream.
“Minimum income requirements for migrant workers in particular roles could provide a solution, but would be problematic as there is no one-size-fits-all wage threshold,” said the ACS submission.
On average, the minimum average advertised salary for technology jobs in 2021 was $107,778, according to the ACS Guide to IT Professions 2022 report, with software developers and cyber security specialists – roles with high demand from employers – the average salary in 2021 was much higher at around $117,000 and $120,000 per annum.
“Strategic needs cannot simply be bucketed into wage brackets,” ACS said in its submission.
“We need workers across the wage spectrum, and ACS cannot see an unproblematic or workable way to use wages as a proxy for strategic need.
“At best such a model would need to have very messy per-occupation thresholds, or alternatively distort the intention of skilled migration to fill strategic gaps in the Australian skills market.”
ACS’s submission also called for greater data about people once they arrive in the country in order to help provide employment and networking services.
“There is potential to do a far better job of tracking the journeys of migrants coming into the country, including issues with accommodation and acclimation, employment outcomes and experiences, wages and income.”
