01 July 2008

One million homes needed for Australian immigration

Australian immigration is fuelling the construction sector in the country, as it is estimated an extra one million homes are needed to house the increase in population. According to the Housing Industry Association (HIA) the current housing supply needs to increase by at least this amount and the new homes are needed in the next five years.

The current housing infrastructure is not supporting the high levels of immigration because the rate of production is too slow. Chris Lamont, head of the HIA's policy division, said this factor, coupled with the fact that now fewer people occupy each house, has increased the demand for houses.

He added the slow production is a result of the skills shortages in the housing industry, but that this could be solved by encouraging more Australian visa holders to apply for building and construction jobs. Mr Wolfe, the New South Wales state executive director for the HIA, told the Age: "A high proportion of migrants are skilled but very few are coming to the construction sector," highlighting the need for more Australian immigration in the skills area. TheDaily.com.au recently pointed out that Australian visa holders have helped skills shortages in the construction industry on the country's sunshine coast.

Australia needs skilled workers: Anyone applying for an Australian visa should begin by completing the Australian Visa Bureau's online Australian visa application to see if they meet the Australian visa requirements.