How can Australia avoid losing migrants vital to the economy’s success?

https://theconversation.com/australia-is-at-risk-of-losing-migrants-who-are-vital-to-the-health-of-our-economy-67455

How can Australia avoid losing migrants vital to the economy’s success? The immigration system of Australia is at risk of losing the confidence of the public, which is hurting its long standing success. The Australian government would have to make certain changes in its policy so that migrant workers and their employers can be on the same page once more.

The ”Brexit” campaign, which some people think is a huge success and saw the UK leave the European Union, is proof that there are going to be consequences when there is a failure of managing the public’s perception properly when it comes to matters of immigration. The changes to the immigration policy of the United Kingdom were yielding benefits to the economy and assisting in plugging up UK labour market gaps. Opponents however, were able to blame the free movement of labour in the EU due to the risen immigration and a number of other economic as well as social issues.

The situation in Australia is different, but the regulations for employers to hire migrant workers are considered weak, especially the temporary visa holders who become the ones vulnerable to being mistreated at work. This serves to alienate the migrants not just in the labour market, but also in the broader society.

Sizable intakes of immigrants haven’t ended up in huge political upheavals in the country. Apart from the sporadic spikes of support Pauline Hanson gets for One Nation, those who are not for immigration have not been able to build influence. Both the Coalition and Labor parties have supported the sweeping economic policies related to immigration for much of the post-war era.

The economic immigration’s impact on the population, labour market, and economy of Australis is more or less unequaled. Immigrants and their immediate descendants since 1945 have accounted for more than half of the population growth in the nation. How can Australia avoid losing migrants vital to the economy’s success?

More than 1 in 4 workers in this country were born outside Australia. The foreign-born population, as part of the overall population, is higher here compared to other countries who are Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members, except for Switzerland and Luxembourg.

The immigration policies of Australia have significantly changed in the past few years. They became more focused on skilled visas, working holiday visas, and international student visas, increasingly shifting to temporary immigration.

While this signifies a departure from encouraging immigrants to live here permanent, a legacy that Australia is known of, there are certain benefits to these changes which are only too obvious for the keen observer.

Because of economic immigrants, an ageing population has been neutralized; productivity on labour has been improved; businesses were able to source skills which are hard to find in Australia at such short notice; and the needs of industries and regional areas have been addressed properly.

Unemployment rates among skilled immigrants can be considered trivial as they tend to get hired in occupations that are high-paying, and therefore contribute more to government revenue by way of taxes, more than what they’re getting from public services and benefits.

A constant flow of immigrants has helped guide the country’s shift to a services from a manufacturing economy, and it’s going to play a significant role in assisting Australian businesses to be creative and innovative in the face of heightened competition and a fast-paced technological change around the globe.

There still are reforms needed to be done so public support can be maintained for a sustained immigration intake. Furthermore, widespread mistreatment and underpayment of working holidaymakers as well as international students in the workplace must be dealt with swiftly and accordingly.

These issues have already been revealed internationally. It may have a negative impact on our competitive standing in certain industries such as horticulture and education, both of which very much rely on temporary migrant workers.

The latest government inquiries, media reports, and academic studies exhibit temporary migrant workers being mistreated don’t just happen in establishments such as 7-Eleven. It is important that the strong enforcement of regulations, coupled with policy changes, are necessary for the restoration of level playing fields for the workforce and businesses.

Some visa programmes can cause temporary migrant workers to become extremely reliant on their employers. As an example, international students need to work 40 hours or less for every fortnight.

Even the smallest misdemeanors can risk international students to getting their visas cancelled. This is why their employment, including their resident rights and enrolment in education become dependent on their employers not divulging any violations of the conditions stipulated in their visas with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP). These matters that cause dependence on employers need to be fixed, or temporary migrants are always going to be afraid to resolve the situation.

There may be employment laws in place but they are being enforced weakly. This keeps unscrupulous employers from paying and treating temporary migrants correctly, which disadvantages honest employers.

For 2.1 million workplaces and 11.6 million workers, the Fair Work Ombudsman only has a total of 250 inspectors, and obviously needs more resources to make sure that the laws of employment, particularly in industries that have a huge number of temporary migrants, are properly enforced. These industries include hospitality, food services, horticulture, and retail.

There must be genuine skills shortages on the allocation of temporary skilled 457 visas, instead of dealing with recruitment issues some employers are facing, which are often the effect of poor conditions and low wages they offer to international job seekers.

The policies that rule 457 visas must take into account labour market needs, including the provision of opportunities to work for decent employers, and an attractive career path they can benefit from, instead of serving the interests of subjective short-term bosses.

The economic immigration in this country has been handled extremely well. However, there is still room for improvement and these issues need to be addressed to enjoy its benefits as well as the Australian majority’s vote of confidence. How can Australia avoid losing migrants vital to the economy’s success?

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