This Month
‘Give us a chance’: More visas not enough to fix skills crisis
According to a recently launched coalition of business groups, unions and community organisations, more than 620,000 permanent migrants work below their skill levels and qualifications.
- Ronald Mizen
Accounting, audit and finance roles added to fast-track visa list
Jobs and Skills Australia has added a range of accounting, audit and finance roles to its list of occupations eligible to apply for new fast-track visas.
- Edmund Tadros
- Exclusive
- Tony Burke
Tradies to join yoga instructors on core migration skills list
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the federal government was moving to address critical shortages, including in new home construction.
- Tom McIlroy and Michael Read
- Exclusive
- Vocational training
Why we got it wrong on education and skill shortages
After 15 years of policies encouraging people to go to university, Australia’s skills tsar says it is now time for a reset if we are to address chronic skill shortages.
- Julie Hare
November
- Exclusive
- Jobs
The big trend working against the PM’s 1.2m homes target
Painter Gavin Sas wants to hire an apprentice to expand his business, but the initial cost is too high. It’s a small part of a bigger problem.
- Euan Black
- Exclusive
- Childcare
Why families feel like they can never get on top of childcare fees
Marita Tilleraas has experienced childcare systems in Norway and Australia, and says the latter is impossible to understand. Economist Angela Jackson agrees.
- Julie Hare
- Exclusive
- International students
Chinese social media users slam foreign student chaos
Students and university leaders are digesting what the blocking of student caps legislation mean for them.
- Julie Hare
Is there a solution to skill shortages?
When migration is no longer the cure for skill shortages, where does the country turn?
- Julie Hare
Demand for postgraduate courses on the rise
Students increasingly look for shorter and more industry-aligned qualifications, experts say.
- Sian Powell
The 10 jobs that landed the biggest pay rises in financial year 2024
Geologists, engineers and trades such as carpenters and electricians were among the occupations that landed the largest salary bumps.
- Euan Black
Migration at record highs as political pressure builds
Overseas students, New Zealanders and backpackers continue to flock to Australia, inflating net migration numbers to historical highs.
- Updated
- Julie Hare and Gus McCubbing
October
- Exclusive
- Workplace
Wilsons Advisory grows new generation of financial advisers
Financial services firm Wilsons Advisory has announced a new associate adviser program to address skills shortages and better serve a changing client base.
- Euan Black
Desperate colleges shore up numbers before student caps kick in
Parliament is yet to pass a bill allowing the government to limit overseas student places, but there is a lot of manoeuvring on the assumption it will go ahead.
- Julie Hare
- Updated
- International students
Universities left in the lurch as Labor pushes back student cap bill
The government has only two weeks to pass changes, which are due to start on January 1, before parliament ends for the year.
- Updated
- Julie Hare
- Exclusive
- Immigration
Student visa surge puts Labor’s migration crackdown in doubt
The number of international students has hit a record, according to official data, even as overseas enrolments begin to fall amid new government restrictions.
- Julie Hare
September
How Angella went from healthcare to coder in nine months
Holberton’s course is an example of the practical training programs employers are using to fill stubborn vacancies in the face of persistent skills shortages.
- Euan Black
- Opinion
- Audit quality
Accounting body’s plan a ticking time bomb for the profession
Chartered Accountants ANZ’s plan to educate school leavers without a university degree will hurt the sector, say two Deakin University academics.
- Anne Wyatt and Peter Carey
Extra 21,000 childcare workers needed now: report
Low pay, excessive overtime, lack of career progression and high levels of burnout are contributing to high attrition rates in the childcare sector.
- Julie Hare
August
Home building goes backwards as infrastructure booms
Developers and economists say conditions might improve soon for detached homes, but there’s no sign of any change that would get apartments going up again.
- Michael Bleby
- Exclusive
- Immigration
CFMEU rout could pave way for foreign tradies to ease housing crunch
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender and business leaders want the Albanese government to speed up visa approvals for workers to build more homes in Australia.
- Tom McIlroy