Australia needs more migrants in regions to fill vacant jobs

The Australian Govt. is trying to increase the number of immigrants moving to regional areas. More migrants are needed in regional areas to fill job vacancies and ease the pressure on the major cities. 

As per the Federal Govt, 1 in 5 migrants who came to Australia between 2006 and 2011 chose to settle in regional areas. 

So why is Australia struggling to settle more migrants in the regional areas? 

Regions vs City 

67% of Australia’s population lives in the big cities making it one of the most urbanized countries in the world. There are more migrants in urban areas than non-migrants, as per The Conversation. 

The two most important aspects of attracting migrants to regional areas are attraction and retention. 

The Australia Govt. has announced two new regional visas which will come into effect from November this year. These are: 

• Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa 
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa 

Both these visas have a provision of PR at the end of 3 years. Most migrants aspire for Permanent Residency which is a big plus for both these visas. 

Staying in the regional areas 

The major factors that impact the retention of migrants in regional areas are: 

• Employment 
• Education for children 

• Availability of services 
• Lifestyle 
• Welcome by the local population 

A national survey of 915 skilled immigrants settled in regional areas found that 2/3rd of them liked their job. 2 in 3 felt welcomed by the local community. 

Most migrants were also found to be happy with the schools, medical services and entertainment options available in the regional areas. 

Migrants in regional areas, however, were dissatisfied with telecommunication and transport services. 

Regional refugee success 

The Australian Govt. decides the primary location for refugees to settle in the country. The Govt. has settled many refugees in regional areas like: 

• Toowoomba in Queensland 
• Logan in Queensland 

• Wagga Wagga in NSW 
• Wollongong in NSW 
• Coffs Harbour in NSW 
• Shepperton in Victoria 

Research done with 111 refugees found that most of them found Australia to be safe. They felt that the locals were friendly towards them and their children had good prospects in Australia. 

Getting a job 

A major issue for immigrants in regional areas like Logan and Toowoomba is getting employment. In 2018, only 13.2% of refugees found jobs in Toowoomba and 13.8% in Logan. However, most of these refugees were still in the process of learning English and were not actively looking for jobs. These refugees were surveyed again in 2019 and there was a significant increase in the employment results. 

The survey also found that most refugees had experience of running their own business before moving to Australia. Programs like “Ignite Small Business Startups” assist such refugees to build their own businesses. 

Yet another threat to migration to regional areas is exploitative employment experiences. Wage-theft is a major concern of most migrants moving to regional areas. Fair Work Australia recently found that out of 1,300 regional businesses, 22% were found to be stealing wages from its employees. 

Y-Axis offers a wide range of visa services and products for aspiring overseas immigrants including Australia General Skilled Migration Program via RMA, Australia Skilled Regional Visa, Australia Temporary Skilled Work Visa, and Australia Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485. We work with Registered Migration Agents in Australia. 

If you are looking to Visit, Study, Work, Invest or Migrate to Australia, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Consultant. 

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