Recruiters warn of IT skills shortage without migration



By Jennifer Foreshew    

The stance of both major parties against a big Australia has raised concerns that any move to tighten the skilled migration program could jeopardise IT projects, recruiters have warned.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s comments about “hurtling” towards a big Australia have sparked heated debate on population and immigration policy. Opposition leader Tony Abbott has vowed to cap annual migration at 170,000 people if elected.

But the IT recruitment sector is predicting the need for a larger intake of foreign technology workers.

Professional Recruitment Australia chief executive Jane Bianchini said Australia was approaching one of the tightest skilled labour markets in recent times. Tightening migration would make it more difficult to attract skilled professionals from overseas, especially in the hi-tech and engineering sectors.

With resources and technology projects, such as the national broadband network being approved and supported by the government, demand for skilled labour in these areas far exceeded supply, she said.

Peoplebank chief executive Peter Acheson said the sector would face a talent shortage by the end of the year, with pressure already emerging in Sydney and Melbourne.

“If you talk to senior executives in IT at the moment —and I do pretty consistently—one of the things that is foremost in their minds is the lack of skilled IT candidates and all are foreshadowing that we are going to need to bring more people in from overseas,” Mr Acheson said.

If immigration policy meant a tightening of skilled migration, all of corporate and government Australia would be concerned, he said. “Ultimately not only does that hamper the country’s future, but it arguably makes it unsustainable.”

Hays IT regional director Peter Noblet said some employers had expressed concern about the prime minister’s views.

Employing overseas skilled professionals was a widely used strategy to help overcome local skills shortages and keep businesses moving forward, so the concern was understandable, he said.

A squeeze on immigration could make it harder to get skilled professionals in from overseas, Mr Noblet said. “We certainly wouldn’t want to see a stop or a cap to the temporary 457 visa program and, moving forward, it is foreseeable that an increase might be required.”

Clicks IT Recruitment chief executive David Stewart said demand for IT workers had continued to increase as business confidence returned.

“Any tightening of skilled migration would be deeply concerning to the industry and would potentially severely impact on our ability to deliver key infrastructure projects, and company expansion plans,” he said. “There is no doubt that the NBN project will significantly accelerate this, but where will these extra workers come from? There is no readily identifiable stream within Australia.”

Michael Page International managing director Jonathan Wiles said Australian companies required an effective skilled migration program to remain globally competitive.

“IT professionals have traditionally been included in the skills in demand lists that form the basis of skilled migration programs,” he said.

“This focus should remain, because IT skills in niche areas are often in scarce supply domestically, and yet critical for the delivery of software and IT infrastructure projects.”

The Michael Page Technology salary and employment forecast, released today, shows that 51 per cent of employers are planning to hire IT staff over the next six months.

The survey, involving more than 800 senior managers from Australia’s corporate sector, confirms 39 per cent of employers believe an IT skills shortage will be an issue for their business within a year.

The latest available statistics from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship show the number of computing professionals granted a 457 visa has almost halved from two years ago.

From July 1 last year to May 31 this year, 2190 computing professionals were granted 457 visas, making that the second most nominated occupation behind registered nurse.

But from July 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008, 4350 computing professionals were granted 457 visas.

Article from The Australian, July 27, 2010.

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