You’re a growing business offering a competitive package with flexible working conditions and all the latest benefits, but you still find those good people, who really make a difference, hard to find. So where are they?
Well, there’s no simple answer to this question, but one area that can offer some insight is the significant government policy changes around the cost and legislation surrounding skilled immigration. The scrapping of the 457 visa in 2017 came as a surprise to businesses that had relied on this as a way of securing talent from overseas, and which enabled the individual to ultimately apply for permanent residency. We’ve been on a one-way road to increased restrictions, hiked costs and reduced quotas ever since. In speaking with Patrick Vanderham of Hemisphere Migration, he says that, as of August 2018, the cost of the application process to employers of businesses with a turnover of less than $10 million, increased from $330 to $5,130 (+ professional fees) representing a massive 1445% increased costs to businesses with no guarantee that the visa will actually be granted.
These costs relate to the Skilling Australia Fund implementation for both the short-term and long-term Temporary skilled 482 visa only. The long-term skilled migration visa is currently the only visa that leads to permanent residency – which has long been the “carrot” effective in enticing talent from overseas. In addition, greater stipulations around the process and timing of sourcing locally, and the inclusion of numerous job specific caveats, have created further barriers to employers. With approximately 3,000 refusals being made over the past year says Patrick, the net effect is that applications are down around 30,000. This is part of a broader policy that sees the government reducing migration by 15%, thereby reducing the overall maximum intake by a cumulative 120,000 over four years with some concessions being made to skilled employer and skilled work visas in regional areas.
According to Michele Graan, Professional Fellow at the University of Canberra, these visa holders in regional areas are being given greater priority processing and will have access to a larger pool of eligible jobs.
Don’t discount skilled migrants; just understand the process is more complex and costly, and think about getting some specialist help from someone like Patrick at Hemisphere Migration.
In the meantime, let’s get back to basics. We can help you strip back your hiring strategy, examine each piece and reassemble it into the well-oiled attracting, sourcing, evaluating and hiring machine your business deserves.
To begin this process, grab a copy of our free Winning the War for Talent EBook and then let’s have a conversation about your sourcing strategy.
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