American construction workers are to be encouraged to work in Australia in an effort to address Australian skill shortages.
Skills minister Chris Evans said this week that the government would move to recognise US workers’ trade skills in the US to smooth their path to Australia.
The news comes as the Greek Australian community continues its efforts to try to ease the way for potential migrants from Greece.
The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) has been at the forefront of lobbying DIAC to instigate new procedures to assist potential migrants from Greece to Australia, and in particular, to encourage the finalisation of a bilateral agreement between Australia and Greece in relation to Working Holiday visas. Inaction on the issue by the Greek Parliament is blamed for the continuing hold-up on delivering the agreement.
Senator Evans said Australia’s temporary migration program had been traditionally attracting Americans in professional areas. According to DIAC, the United States made up 7 per cent of total 457 (temporary overseas worker) visa applications awarded between July 2011 and March 2012.
DIAC is set to run an a skills expo in Houston next month, similar to the event that took place in Athens last October, in order to attract skilled workers in resources, energy and infrastructure.
Around 80,000 migrants currently work in Australia under 457 visas.
Australian unions have described the move to attract US workers as premature, despite the announcement being widely welcomed by business groups as a way to fill skills gaps in construction and engineering as demand for workers is expected to peak in 2014-15.
Meanwhile, Melbourne cab company Taxi-Link, which sought to recruit drivers from Greece last month to meet the shortage of taxi drivers in Victoria, now has its focus set on Ireland.
Taxi-Link’s director Harry Katsabalis told Neos Kosmos that because Ireland and Australia already have in place a bilateral agreement on Working Holiday visas, allowing young Irish nationals to work for 12 months in Australia, the procedure for recruiting from Ireland rather than Greece would be far easier.
Mr Katsiabanis said that he had received more than 4000 applications from Greece, but most of the applicants were not suitable as their level of English was not adequate and that they would struggle to gain a visa. Taxi driving is not a profession currently listed in the skills occupation list used by Australia’s immigration department to channel skilled migration to suit Australia’s perceived skill shortages..
“As a result we have researched other countries and believe that the Irish community would better suit our needs.”
Taxi-Link is Melbourne’s largest cab firm with 160 cars on the road and is planning to expand.
Mr Katsiabanis said that despite the problems encountered over the plan to recruit Greek drivers, 32 applicants have already begun training in Melbourne for Taxi-Link and that half of them were from Greece. Mr Katsiabanis added that all had appropriate visas which allowed them to study and work part-time.
“I’ve got an issue and I have to solve it. I need to safeguard my business,” said Taxi-Link’s director.