Demand to work in Australia is waning, with the number of new skilled migrant worker applications falling.
The number of total overseas migrants ¬applying for a four-year work visa has dropped below 50,000 during 2013-14 compared to more than 81000 in the previous year.
Employers are blaming high visa costs, while a high unemployment rates are lessening demand for overseas workers.
The tourism and hospitality sector, the biggest employer of foreign workers, saw applications halve to 5330, from 10,700 the previous year.
The construction industry also saw applications halve, while the mining industry saw a 44 per cent reduction.
Health and social assistance was the only industry that had a reduction of less than 40 per cent, with 5020 new visa applications coming through in 2013/14, from 7650 the previous year.
Thousands of migrant workers also left the country, with 29,000 work visas cancelled by the Immigration and Border Control Department.
The Immigration Department says many of the cancelled visas were because the visa holder’s employer advised the Department that the worker had ended their employment.
Source: The Australian