The Western Australian government has announced that it will work with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy to develop a Western Australia skilled migration strategy.The partnership will develop the Western Australia Skilled Migration Strategy to ensure additional labour requirements would be met and the state did not experience a skills shortage.
While the plan will focus on maximising opportunities for all West Australians, targeted overseas and interstate migration will also be vital in alleviating the predicted future skill and labour shortages,” said Peter Collier,Training and Workforce Development Minister of WA. Western Australia is entering a new era of economic growth driving by a strong resources sector, and the state-specific approach to Australian immigration will work in conjunction with the national system.
The Western Australian Skilled Migration Strategy, due for release in June, will address a number of key areas:
- Assessing the role of the current migration approach in meeting Western Australia ’s workforce needs, including assessing the implications of existing policy and practices;
- Specifying the role temporary and permanent skilled migration plays in meeting such skill needs
- Identifying barriers to Western Australia being a destination of choice for skilled and business migrants;
- Developing a policy framework that clearly outlines the role of migration, both interstate and international, to meet Western Australia’s future workforce needs
- Considering international students, business migration, interstate migration, a regional perspective, and the impact on social and hard infrastructure.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has reported that an additional 400,000 workers would be required in Western Australia over the next 10 years, while the Chamber of Minerals and Energy has identified that an extra 26,000 workers would be needed in the resources sector alone to 2013.
From: Australia & New Zealand Magazine| March 16, 2010
