We must collaborate to attract skilled migrants

Navigating Australia’s new immigration system, introduced in March 2018, has been challenging for most businesses. While there is a clear need to regularly review immigration policy and ensure that we protect Australian jobs, when it comes to skilled migration, the rules disregard the needs of many businesses.

Implemented with minimal consultation or collaboration with businesses, the new system has fallen short in delivering the tech talent we desperately need.

The abolition of the 457 visa program and reducing pathways to permanent residency has significantly increased time and cost to hire, and caused undue stress for employees whose futures in Australia are now in question.

But it’s not just our recruitment metrics that are blowing out, the visa changes also mean greater costs for many companies. Australian businesses have been at the mercy of fluctuating federal policy and inconsistent state-led initiatives that failed to grasp that it’s not just about current talent availability.

When it comes to labour market testing, for example, should it be mandatory for all roles?

We can surely all agree that for both moral and economic purposes, businesses should be committed to sourcing and developing homegrown talent. From a purely commercial standpoint, it also makes sense to do so; it’s quicker and more cost-effective to hire locally. Taking into consideration lost productivity, advertising, time, on-boarding and training, some estimate the average cost per hire for a local job applicant is already as much as 50 per cent of the person’s first-year salary.

Government should not dictate to business when and who they can hire, presuming to know what skills and talent we need now and in the future without collaboration.

Unless we hire experienced leaders in key fields from overseas markets, we will struggle to develop and execute the programs needed in education and workplace settings to build local talent pools. Labour market testing for certain roles is counter-productive, adding an unnecessary step into an already lengthy and costly process that undermines our ability to be globally responsive and hire the talent our country needs.

Attracting top talent is a highly competitive business. Where visa legislation does allow for it, our ability to source international talent is affected by skills testing, complicated legislation and visa processing times. Are we now further impeded by a lack of pathways to permanent residency?

Relocating overseas is a huge investment and, with potential employers unable to offer any assurance as to a long-term position, Australia is becoming a highly unattractive proposition for many jobseekers — particularly for highly skilled workers that are in demand globally.

While there were always far more 457 visas granted than conversions to permanent residency, the new legislative framework needs to be better understood. The lack of clarity around pathways to permanent residency and decisions about what roles and skills qualify, are hampering efforts to attract global talent, putting us at risk of future skills shortages and decreased competitiveness in critical growth industries.

Research suggests Australia needs 200,000 IT workers, yet we only produce 5000 IT graduates each year, most of whom will need years of work experience to fulfil skills gaps we have now.

We need collaboration between the federal government and the Australian business community.

Significant cuts or changes to immigration programs such as those made in 2017 should not come as a surprise and should be balanced with grandfathered arrangements to allow for those who have established a life here, and those businesses that have invested considerably in hiring and training them, to make the necessary arrangements.

As talent leaders we also need to continue to invest in strategic sourcing, training and development initiatives. Programs to support return to work, workplace flexibility and retraining would all better align people to future skills requirements.

To attract the best minds in existing and emerging high-growth industries, we need clarity on pathways to permanent residency and greater flexibility for businesses to build a case for individual roles or skills.

Whoever is successful in the federal election needs to collaborate with business leaders to understand how we can work together to source the talent Australia needs.

Kelly Quirk is CEO and managing director of Harrier Group.