Job ads in Australia mount; Gov't revises occupation lists for skilled migration scheme

Job ads in Australia rose for the fourth straight month in June. The surge reflects the recently marked improvement in the measures of labour demand.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ.AX) has revealed that total Australian job ads rose 2.7 percent in June after a 0.4 percent increase in the previous month. Last year, ads of 175,091 were up 10.5 percent, the highest ever recorded since 2011.

Government measure of employment caught up with the improvement seen in the number of jobs posted in recent months. Sharp increases in March, April and May have driven the unemployment rate to a four-year low of 5.5 percent.

ANZ's head of Australian economics David Plank said that the continued gain signifies the maintenance to this trend. "We think the strength of employment will be a key factor in stabilizing, and possibly lifting, consumer sentiment," Reuters quotes him as saying. He added it would be essential in ensuring the downside risks to the economy do not materialize.

Tech jobs for skilled visas

The federal government has reversed some changes to the temporary skilled migration scheme. It decided to reinstate several tech-related titles in the list of occupations eligible for temporary and permanent skilled visas after consultation with the industry.

Some roles that were introduced include engineering technician, telecommunications and data cable joiner, ICT support and test engineer, web developer, ICT support technician and telecommunications technician. Under the new scheme, roles including property manager, psychotherapist, university tutor and real estate agent were removed. All applicants for skilled visas are now required to undergo criminal checks as part of their application.

The 457 skilled visa scheme was scrapped and replaced with a new program that list fewer eligible occupations. The move was slammed by industry groups that claimed the new program would discourage talent from coming here to work. It is expected the list of eligible occupations will be updated again in the future.

In a statement, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said the government recognises the importance of enabling Aussie businesses to tap into global talent so they would remain to be internationally competitive and uphold a solid national science and innovation agenda. “Revisions to the occupation lists are just one element of the government's reforms strengthening the integrity of Australia's employer sponsored skilled migration programmes and raising the productivity of skilled migrants,” the minister said, according to ZD Net.

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