Australia Set to Increase Migrant Intake
The Australian government is currently considering a plan that will allow an extra 20,000 skilled migrant workers into the country to meet desperate demands for labour during the resources boom. A number of industry professionals and politicians are pushing for the May budget to be used to lift the skilled migrant intake, particularly for the Northern Territory, WA and Queensland.
The resources boom is expected to grow further and the government is already considering plans to push disability support pensioners back into work following an overhaul of the welfare system. This is a turnaround for Julia Gillard who did not want to create a “big Australia”, however with a rise of 20,000 migrant workers seeming inevitable the country’s overall migrant intake will reach 133,000.
David Gruen has been pushing for a rise in the immigrant intake since the global financial crisis resulted in a slashing of the previous intake targets. Gruen believes that an increase in the number of immigrants allowed into the country will push the resources industry further but also boost those industries which have started to shrink such as manufacturing.
The proposed migrant increase is expected to add around $3bn (AUS) to the Federal revenue resulting in further calls for a lift on the current migrant restrictions. With the economy now growing it seems inevitable that the number of migrants allowed into the country over the new few years is set to increase.