TCA and AIIA support migration law changes

Both the Tech Council of Australia (TCA) and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) have welcomed the federal government’s proposed changes to immigration laws, arguing that the changes are an important step towards resolving Australia’s technology skills shortage.

The proposed changes include a reform of the points test to better identify migrants with the skills and attributes needed to contribute to Australia’s future security and prosperity, as well as a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand citizens.

TCA CEO Kate Pounder said skilled migration is an essential part of growing a globally successful Australian technology sector.

“Australia has some of the best tech talent in the world, but we simply do not have enough to meet demand,” she said. “Our labour market shortages are concentrated in highly technical roles requiring years of experience, and it’s here that skilled migrants are particularly important.”

Pounder said Australia’s migration system is currently slow and uncompetitive compared to comparable economies competing for tech workers. “That means we’re losing out to the rest of the world,” she said.

The proposed changes can help meet the goal of reaching 1.2 million tech jobs in the nation by 2030, Pounder said. This will require over 650,000 people to enter the tech sector by this time.

“We support the government’s decision to focus on creating faster and simpler pathways for the highly skilled and highly paid workers needed to drive innovation in the economy,” Pounder said. “It is these workers where there is a fierce global competition for talent, and where we need to be more competitive by creating a streamlined set of requirements that apply above a defined wage threshold.”

The TCA also supports the focus on improving pathways to permanent residency, including for international students, she said.

Meanwhile, the AIIA said its recent member survey found that 35% of members were looking to hire staff from overseas due in large part to the shortage of skilled Australian workers.

“The Minister’s announcement today is very promising for Australia’s IT industry and our domestic capabilities. It is pleasing to hear the Minister acknowledge today the skill shortages we see in the tech sector,” AIIA CEO Simon Bush said.

“We see 23,000 international students complete IT qualifications annually in Australia; the changes to support these students to remain and work in Australia is very promising. There is strong demand and shortages in the IT sector, and migration is one of the measures that will help to address these shortages.”

Bush said along with changes to the migration system, more will need to be done to address the skills shortage, including supporting school leavers to move to VET and tertiary tech courses, and developing digital traineeships and apprenticeships.

“Australia has great opportunities to harness developing technologies such as AI, quantum computing and digital twins, but we need to ensure we have the workforce to deliver this. There are incredible opportunities for careers, earning excellent salaries and capable of working anywhere in Australia,” he said.

“There is no one solution to this skills shortage challenge. A range of measures — including training and education, along with skilled migration — are needed to help overcome the skills shortage in the IT sector.”

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