30,000 more skilled workers needed in Australia to boost economy

The Australian Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans has said that 30,000 more skilled Australian visa holders are needed to allow the economy to grow. Senator Evans said that an ageing population and few native workers mean people on an Australian skilled visa are essential to allowing the country's businesses grow.

He told Sky News: "So there is a huge demand. We will meet it by upskilling our own people, but we have got to make sure we have got strong skilled migration as well if we are going to grow. Unless we have migration we are not going to be able to grow our workforce." It follows recent news that Senator Evans has raised the number of Australia visa places by 31,000.

Senator Evans said that in the past year the country's workforce has grown more from imported labour than from native Australians taking on jobs. He said the government also does not want all the Australian visa holders to flock to Sydney, saying Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have a "huge demand".

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.