16 April 2008

Unions in full support of Australian immigration

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has said that unions in the country fully support people entering the country on temporary Australian visas in order to fill the gaps in the workforce. Speaking to ABC1's Lateline programme, ACTU president Sharan Burrow has said that Australia will lose billions of dollars by 2025 if the shortage is not addressed, and Australian immigration is a good way to go about it.

Ms Burrow said: "Migration's absolutely part of the picture If we get the right space in place, get rid of the damage those 457 visas that they've currently constructed have done, that will be a good thing." She added that there needs to be a commitment fro businesses to train the future workforce".

According to a separate report, four professional jobs were created in Australia to every one trade job in the decade up to 2006. Research from the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University also showed that businesses had sponsored 56,000 skilled workers to move Down Under through Australian immigration in 2006-07.

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.