Migration opportunities centre stage
The Minister for Training and Workforce Development Peter Collier has wrapped up a successful visit to the UK and Ireland aimed at promoting opportunities in Western Australia for skilled migrants. During the ten day visit the Minister spoke at a number of events highlighting the demand for skilled workers in Western Australia. Mr Collier says he was thrilled by the reaction. “The response to the recruitment drive from all workforce sectors has been overwhelming,” he said.
The Minister was joined by a delegation of industry leaders including the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association Bradley Woods, the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Reg Howard-Smith, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive James Pearson and Steve Moir, the CEO of the Motor Trades Association. The delegation joined the Agent General Kerry Sanderson AO at a series of migration events in Leeds and Aberdeen, where the Minister and Mr Howard-Smith addressed attendees at a migration conference.
The delegation also travelled to Ireland, where the Minister said the group received a particularly positive reaction. “We face a significant labour shortage in WA and this trip has definitely assisted us in making real progress in terms of attracting more skilled migrants to the state. We have been inundated with potential migrants.”
The visit couldn’t have come at a better time, with unemployment in WA at just 4.2 percent in June, well below the national average of 4.9 percent, and the lowest of all the states. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry predicts the state will need an additional 33,000 workers over the next few years in the resources sector, and many of those positions will be for skilled tradespeople.
Minister Collier said the Federal Government’s move to adjust its visa process came at the right moment. “I welcome the Federal Government’s decision to allow Perth to be made eligible for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.”
Mr Collier also made prospective migrants aware of the recently launched Skilled Migration Portal www.migration.wa.gov.au, the latest in a series of endeavours the State Government has rolled out as part of a broad approach to help address future skills demand.
