High demand for skilled workers in WA
Skilled migration forums across Western Australia will be staged to provide employers with information on the skilled migration programs available to address their labour needs, a Department of Immigration and Citizenship [...]
The Australian unemployment rate remained steady at 5.3 per cent in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced today. The ABS reported the number of people employed increased by 19,600 people to 10.988 million [...]
Continue reading …457 visa changes reduce migrant numbers intake, but healthcare workers still in demand
May 28, 2009 No Comment
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans gave assurance that the temporary visa skilled workers program will not be used to undermine local labour. He said that the number of applications for subclass 457 visas lodged last month was the lowest rate in four years [...]
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The language requirement for all subclass 457 trades and chef applicants has been raised, effective yesterday, in response to concerns about the exploitation of workers from non-English speaking countries. A DIAC spokesperson said increasing the existing language requirement from International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 4.5 to IELTS 5 would align the subclass 457 English standard [...]
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The Australian Government announced yesterday seven major changes to the Subclass 457 visa program. The measures included indexation of the minimum salary level by 4.1% on 1 July 2009, implementation of a market based minimum salary, increasing the existing minimum language requirement [...]
Continue reading …The Department of Immigration and Citizenship issued recently a reminder to community employers and companies to check that their staff are entitled to work in Australia. DIAC said that employers in the retail and hospitality industries are among those at the highest risks [...]
Continue reading …The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, yesterday welcomed the passage through Parliament with bipartisan support of new laws to better protect temporary overseas workers in Australia. The worker protection legislation was introduced after extensive consultation with industry and unions to strengthen the integrity of temporary working visa arrangements including the subclass 457 visa program [...]
A delegation from the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will be in Australia 3-14 November for a mission to appraise the needs of Australia for skilled Filipino workers, the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney reported.
The delegation, headed by Labor Undersecretary Rosalinda Baldoz, former administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), will comprise representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and DOLE officials for international labor affairs and labor studies.
They will visit Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Cairns.
POEA is the Philippines’ peak agency that regulates the hiring of Filipinos for overseas employment. OWWA provides programs that look after the welfare of expatriate Filipino workers. TESDA sets standards and provides the official certifications for technical skills.
The demand for certain categories of Filipino skilled workers prompted the Philippine Department of Labor to study a systematic and streamlined procedure for providing temporary stay workers for the Australian market, as well as to set into place the programs and services that will look after their welfare. #
Continue reading …New Australian laws to protect overseas workers, minimum salary levels increased
September 25, 2008 No CommentThe Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, yesterday introduced a Bill into the Senate that sets out a new framework to better protect temporary overseas workers in Australia. The Migration Legislation Amendment (Worker Protection) Bill 2008 will strengthen the integrity of temporary working visa arrangements including the Subclass 457 visa program [...]
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