Michael McGuire: Why SA should act now on a new ‘10 pound Pom’ campaign to lure skilled workers

With barely an industry not crying out for workers, it’s time for a new ‘10 pound Pom’ campaign to encourage skilled migrants to move to SA, writes Michael McGuire. Do you agree?

It’s probably bad form to target a country that is falling apart with the intention of plundering its best and brightest.

Still, South Australia has its own problems that need fixing, especially when it comes to addressing skills shortages across the economy.

There is barely an industry that is not crying out for workers. According to the National Skills Commission, there are 140 occupations that are experiencing some kind of shortage.

The commission says the largest proportion of occupations struggling to find workers are technicians and trades, nurses, ICT professionals, commercial cooking and baking.

The state government should start a campaign in the UK to try to encourage as many skilled migrants as possible to move to South Australia.

They have already started in a small way with backpackers, trying to attract young workers with £10 airfares, but it’s time to put together a more comprehensive effort.

Liz Truss is the UK’s fourth prime minister in the past six years – and the prospects for the British economy look grim. Picture: Sean Smith/Getty Images

Britain is falling apart. Its recent political travails have made it a global laughing stock.

They are already talking about replacing latest Prime Minister Liz Truss who has only been in the job for a couple of months.

Truss is the UK’s fourth prime minister in the past six years. And soon there will be a fifth.

In an effort to save her disastrous prime ministership, Truss has already sacked her chancellor of the exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, but it’s a doomed effort.

The prospects for the British economy look grim and a mini-budget the pair presented two weeks ago was inept in both policy and presentation, causing mass panic in the financial markets.

The experiment of Brexit has been an economic disaster as well. Of all developed countries, Britain has recovered most slowly from the pandemic, which is not too surprising when you consciously uncouple yourself from the world’s biggest trading bloc.

Britain gave into political and ideological extremists and is now paying the price.

The Britain we know is almost dead in the water.

It’s easy enough to predict that in the next decade Scotland will become independent and Ireland will again be a united country.

Social care provider holding senior hands in caring attitude – helping elderly people. Picture: iStock

As an aside, how’s all that stability that monarchists always point to when discussing the need to keep King Charles as Australia’s head of state?

There are going to be many Brits who will be looking to the rest of the world and wondering if there are better options for themselves and for their children.

South Australia should be pushing itself towards the front of the queue to snap up the most talented.

For example, SA has a constant need for more nurses. Last year saw 25 per cent more nurses leave their job at the National Health Service (an increase of 7000), with three-quarters of them aged under 45.

There will be many other professionals in a similar position, and it’s easier to migrate to SA than the more populous cities and we have a good story to tell when it comes to lifestyle and opportunity.

The key will be SA acting quickly before bigger cities, such as Sydney and Melbourne.