Number of IT workers from India receiving low wages increase dramatically

Number of IT workers from India receiving low wages increase dramatically https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/proportion-of-indian-it-workers-on-457-visas-rock-bottom-pay-triples-20161202-gt2nso.html

Number of IT workers from India receiving low wages increase dramatically A study has found that the number of professionals in the Information Technology field fom India who were granted 457 visas and are given base salaries of $53,900 or less, which is much lower compared to the salaries given to the experienced IT professionals in Australia, has increased 3 times under the Coalition government.

According to the Australian Population Research, IT professionals have the largest single occupation represented in the 457 visa program and over ¾ of them are from India who can mostly be found working in Melbourne or Sydney.

The report which was entitled ‘Immigration Overflow: Why it Matters’ had the findings released on Friday during the very same time the federal government made the announcement that there was going to be a review of the skilled migration list.

Mr Peter Dutton, the minister for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, has given responsibility to the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration to make a review of the skilled migration program to make sure that the ‘genuine’ needs of the labour market are better shown.

According to Mr Dutton, the review of the Consolidated Sponsored Occupational List was one of the reforms to make sure that priority is given to Australian workers.

Mr Dutton also said that because of the mismanagement, it resulted to the growth of the 457 visa program to over 110, 000 from just 68,000 primary visa holders.

”It is important that the integrity of the list be maintained to ensure that skilled migration meets the genuine needs of Australia’s economy and does not displace Australian workers,” said Mr Dutton. ”Only the Coalition can be trusted to put Australian workers first.”

According to Mr Dutton, it was Mr Chris Bowen, the fomer Labor immigration minister, who came up with the new skilled migration list and included hundreds of occupations regardless if there was a shortage or not.

”Labor holds itself out to be the party of the worker, but in reality the modern day Labor Party has consistently shown a disregard for Australian workers and taxpayers in its big migration and open border policies,” he continued on to say.

The research which was done by Mr Bob Kinnaird, Mr Ernest Healy, and Mr Bob Birrell, all from the Australian Population Research Institute, has found that the proportion of IT professionals from India hired to become programmers and analysts on base salaries that are either at the minimum of $53,000 a year or below, has increased to 27.7 per cent in 2014 to 2015 from 7.6 per cent between 2012 to 2013 under the Coalition.

61 per cent of the IT professionals from India holding a 457 visa were paid a base salary of less than $70,180 per year, which is at east $30,000 below the average salaries of Australian IT professionals.

It was also mentioned in the report that most Indian nationals who are in Australia’s IT industry are sponsored by IT companies from india, and are often subject to being transferred within the company from Australia to India.

”They have been successful in winning a major chunk of Australia’s IT consulting work on the basis of these 457 visa holders,” stated Mr Kinnaird. ”They have succeeded in part because they are paying these professionals much lower salaries than the market rate for comparable IT professions in Australia.”

The minimum salary for the 457 visa program, according to Mr Kinnaird, is set at $53,900 per year, which is almost similar to Australian ICT graduates’ starting salary, for ages 25 years old.

More than 650 occupations are included in the skilled migration list, which was introduced back in 2012 by the former Labor government. It applies to both permanent and temporary sponsored visas. This includes the 457 visa.

The government of New South Wales was reported by Fairfax Media earlier this week to be hiring IT professionals on 457 visas, preferring them instead of Australian workers at the same time public services were outsourced.