Skilled foreign workers to fill labour gap

The Federal Government is set to announce measures to address a chronic shortage of workers in Western Australia.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will tell delegates at a mining conference in the city today that Perth will be made eligible for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.
There are predictions WA will have a shortage of 150,000 skilled workers in the resources and infrastructure sectors by 2017.
Mr Bowen says that will make it easier for employers to recruit workers from overseas.
"What it means is that it will be easier for employers to get semi-skilled workers, particularly people who are already in Australia under 457 visas and to help them transition to permanent residency," he said.
"There are concessions under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme and we do prioritise applications under that scheme."
Unions WA says labour shortages in the resources sector should be addressed through better training and not through skilled migration.
Simone McGurk from the union group says encouraging skilled migration will not be enough to meet the projected shortfall and the push to import labour will drive up unemployment.
"We also need to make sure that there's a strong onus on State and Federal Governments, and on employers, to make sure that local workers can fill those skill gaps," she said.
Ms McGurk says the government should offer more opportunities to local workers.
"While we've got significant unemployment and significant pockets of unemployment in demographics, youth unemployment for instance, we think there's a real onus on the State Government to look at what it can do to train people and give people the opportunities to meet the skill gaps that are experienced throughout the state," she said.

Source:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-19/bowen-skilled-workers-wa/2799886