A fossil-fuelled boom is boosting Gladstone's economy

New coal and gas extraction projects planned across Queensland are expected to increase demand for labour across the ‘Sunshine State’.

The A$80 billion worth of investment in the projects is likely to translate into around 38,000 new jobs – not just in fossil fuel operations but in construction.

Many construction workers will have to be flown in and out to various projects during their construction phase – moving between temporary accommodations around the state – but there will be some permanent and ongoing jobs as well..

The action is centred around the central Queensland coastal town of Gladstone and the Galilee Basin, and fly-in-fly-out workers are already being recruited from as far away from Ireland.

The biggest employer in the industry is US-owned construction engineers Bechtel. And the resulting economic boost is likely to have a knock-on effect, potentially increasing job opportunities in other sectors as well, including transport, logistics, hospitality, IT and marketing.

So if you dream of living or working in the Sunshine State, the next few years could prove fruitful. Just watch this space!

More migrants are needed to help build Australia's bright future

Australia’s Trade Minister, Craig Emerson, has called for Australia to increase immigration levels so that the country can exploit its “sparkling future in the Asian century”.

Its international trade links with prospering Asian countries have safeguarded Australia’s economic future, in constrast to the grim outlook in other first-world economies.

But the Trade Minister feels that a shortage of skilled labour is holding the country back from its export potential. He calls for more immigrants to be allowed in, both on a temporary and permanent basis.

But – crucially – most of these workers will be needed in regional and rural areas – especially the mining districts which are fuelling the primary exports boom. So unfortunately it’s not a case of migrants heading straight to the glitz and glamour of downtown Sydney or Melbourne – they are not the job-hunting hotspots. Perth, on the other hand, is a different story, acting as nerve centre for the Western Australian mineral rush.

Australia really needs to fill its provincial regions, which are the powerhouses of the current economic boom. The nation’s population is set to hit 35 million by 2050, and if all these people squeezed into the usual three or four state capital cities, it would probably take much of the fun out of living Down Under. Instead, regional towns need to expand and become cities themselves, spreading the workforce more evenly and into areas where it’s needed most.

In the Australian government’s 2011-12 budget, the intake of migrants was raised by 16,000, accounting for more than half of Australia’s growth. Six million (27 per cent) of Australia’s people were born overseas, which is pretty much the highest rate in the world.

This is a country of migrants, which opens its arms to more migrants, and continues to build a prosperous nation with a bright future. To take advantage of this, keep checking whether your employment skills are listed on the Skilled Occupation Lists (SOL) at www.immi.gov.au 

Make sure you get what you pay for: avoid unregistered migration agents and any that demand a lot of money up front

A registered migration agent was busted for fraud this morning in Chinatown, Sydney, when immigration and federal police officers entered her apartment with a search warrant.

Despite being registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA; as is the legal requirement for all migration agents acting for potential migrants into Australia), the unnamed migration agent allegedly charged a number of clients for visa application services she never delivered. She allegedly pocketed more than A$80,000 in fees and used fake Commonwealth documents in the process.

The authorities are working out what charges can be laid against her, but meanwhile the incident has caused concern throughout the migration services industry, because the agent was registered with MARA until she ceased trading as a migration agent in 2010.

Potential migrants have always been warned against using unregistered migration agents, who are trading illegally and therefore aren’t obliged to follow a code of conduct that safeguards client’s consumer rights.

But to find that a legally registered migration agent has been ripping off clients despite her accreditation comes as something of a shock. In order to protect its integrity as a licensing body and watchdog, MARA will need to be very tough in pursuing and prosecuting any agents found to be abusing their position.

If you’re using a migration agent, step one is to check online that they’re registered with MARA, at www.mara.gov.au. Try to research their reputation or source some independent testimonials if you can, and be very wary of any agents who demand large sums of money up front before they deliver anything.

Report any incidents of visa fraud to the immigration department at www.immi.gov.au – as a consumer you do have rights, and there are procedures there to protect you.

The forecast is all good Down Under

The future’s bright for Australia’s economy. While the rest of the west appears to be caught in an epic domino-effect of doom, the economic forecast Down Under is as perky and upbeat as its people.

Like a mountain weathering a tornado, Australia seems to be relatively immune to the economic storms that rage around the globe. Prudent economic policies, a culture of debt aversion that sees families saving up rather than ‘paying later’, and a careful strengthening of funding, liquidity and capital position since the 2008 crisis, have combined to keep Australia relatively stable despite the shockwaves hurled at it from partner economies.

The mining boom has helped a lot, with export earnings hitting a record high of A$175 billion in the past year. The Reserve Bank of Australia predicts that the financial outlook looked set to remain positive over the foreseeable future, as long as Australia remains cautious in its lending and doesn’t get all credit-happy like the rest of us.

An official vote of confidence, has come from economic ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, which has affirmed Australia’s triple-A credit status, awarded to only 18 countries globally. This means that if it does need to borrow it can do so at preferential rates. The US, meanwhile, has been downgraded to ‘AA+; outlook negative’ , and some economists predict the UK may follow suit.

Credit ratings explained here:

Semi-skilled workers in certain industries could join skilled migrants in Australia

Under guidelines published earlier this year, Australian employers may soon be able to import semi-skilled workers from other countries, provided they cannot fill the job from the Australian workforce.

This is a really exciting new development, and could add lots of new jobs to the list of in-demand workers who may be eligible for migration.

Australia’s economy is one of few in the West that is growing, fuelled partly by an upturn in its primary resources sector. And with all the investment that’s going on, people are needed to work in associated projects, such as roads, rail and ports infrastructure.

Australian temporary work visas have already surged by a massive 40% in the past year, and these measures are likely to increase this still further, as semi-skilled workers join their ranks.

There are currently 73,500 foreign skilled workers in Australia, working in a range of industries form healthcare to IT, mining and construction. Their average salaries have risen to almost A$100,000 a year.

Employers are not allowed to ‘draft in cheaper labour’ by undercutting the pay or benefits packages they offer their Australian employees. And while there’s no limit to the number of skilled foreign workers they can bring in, the number of semi-skilled and unskilled labourers will be capped.

Head here to Perth if you have ICT skills - Western Australia needs you!

Calling all computer whizzes… Western Australia needs you!

Poor old WA is struggling with a chronic shortage of ICT specialists, due to a combination of its distance from other cities (Perth is the world’s most isolated city), insufficient numbers of Australian IT graduates, and the state’s current mining boom which has increased demand.

Australian Computer Society spokesman Jim Ellis reports that Western Australia is ‘far more affected’ than other states by the ICT skills shortage. “We are being forced to bring people in on 457 (skilled) visas,” he says.

The mining boom (or resources expansion, as it’s correctly termed) has seen a sharp rise in the export of Western Australia’s natural resources, mainly to rapidly developing countries. ICT is playing a much greater role in the process than it used to, and Australia’s mining firms have big plans for IT infrastructure in the years ahead, in order to cope with the demand, and despatch their orders with maximum efficiency.

Perth is the hub of all this frenzied economic activity – great news for this friendly, laid-back city that twinkles on the shores of the Indian Ocean; closer to Asia than it is to Melbourne and Sydney. Perhaps its new status as a boomtown will see the city expand, with increased investment from other sectors, and the building of more new homes.

Meanwhile, the ICT sector is desperate to service the economic upturn by moving forward from using contractors and whoever it can find, and instead recruit skilled, dedicated, full-time workers.

Most IT workers end up with a choice of two or three job offers – and head-hunting is rife. Crucially, those with good interpersonal skills will attract much more interest than the stereotypical IT-geek loner… teamwork is a key factor in any large IT project.

So if you’re both personable and proficient in IT, or IT project management, Western Australia can offer you an exciting career in a burgeoning economy.

• Read more about the IT skills shortage in WA here

• Browse WA jobs here

Experienced surveyors are now among those eligible for migration to Victoria, Australia

The Australian state of Victoria has updated its State Migration Plan (SMP), which outlines the most in-demand skills needed locally. From next month, the state will sponsor successful visa applicants with these skills.

Among the new jobs listed on the SMP are ship/marine engineers, surveyors, and systems engineers. Specialist ICT skills are also back on the list after a brief absence, in response to long-term demand. If you have at least five years’ experience in these fields, Victoria would now like to hear from you.

No other pre-existing occupations have been removed, meaning that there’s been an increase in the number of in-demand occupations in Melbourne and across its home state.

Having these specific skills is no guarantee of success though… Melbourne totally rocks, having recently been judged the World’s Most Liveable City… So due to intense competition from other people wanting to live here, fulfilling the minimum requirements does not guarantee you an offer of sponsorship.

If, however, you can pass the various financial and occupational assessments with flying colours, and the state offers you sponsorship, you can officially jet off to join some of the happiest people in the world, in a new life Down Under.

• Pore over VIctoria’s Occupation Lists here

Restrictions on Australian Student Visas will be eased

Australia is to make it easier for overseas students to enrol in Australian universities, in response to a report suggesting it could do more to boost the sector, which is one of Australia’s most lucrative export industries.

Although international student numbers have doubled over the past decade, the Knight Review (of the Student Visa Program)  found that both certain procedures – deployed to minimise the risk of visa abuse – are actually prohibiting potential students from applying to Australian universities.

So the Australian government is to make the whole system a lot easier for international students, irrespective of where they’re from. For the 2012-2013 term, visas should be processed faster, and the amount of capital that ‘higher-risk’ students need to prove will be about $35,000 less than it is now; and there’ll be a new post-study work visa available, valid for two to four years, in addition to the current choice of skilled visas.

‘Students are increasingly looking to augment their studies with graduate work experience and this further post-study work visa option will offer university students a more complete study experience in Australia,’ said Senator Chris Evan, who is in charge of skills, jobs and tertiary education in the Australian government.

There will be a new ‘genuine temporary entrant’ requirement that will enable the Immigration department to assess applications more fairly.

The new policy will also allow English language students to apply for a visa without having to meet minimum English skills requirements, as well as allow PhD students to stay in the country while their thesis is being marked. Student visas will no longer be automatically cancelled as a matter of course.

All of this is great news for those who are eligible to study in Australia, where the higher education provision is world-class.

• To read the smallprint and find out more, visit The Government Response to the Knight Review

The mining industry is booming Down Under - and needs skilled workers

Poor old Australia. It must be tough, being so rich in precious natural resources that you can barely find enough employees to exploit them. I mean, all these jobs will need filling if Australia’s economy is to soar towards its potential.

Leading Australian economist Bill Evans has warned that a lack of skilled mining workers could hamper the explosive economic growth that the country is due. But we don’t feel too sorry for the ‘Lucky Country’.

A new report by ANZ bank and economic consultants Port Jackson Partners recently predicted that Australia will need 750,000 workers over the next 20 years in order to fulfill its potential of over $480 billion in primary exports. Even as the rest of the western world staggers beneath the weight of debt, inflation and job losses, Australia’s potential is hampered mainly by a lack of people to fill jobs as this export sector booms. If handled properly, proceeds from the mining boom could filter throughout the economy and further raise living standards across the population.

The country produces more than it consumes, notably in the mining sector. The Australian newspaper reports that it is “straining under a skills crisis and importing workers to deal with the mining boom.” The industry needs to more than double its current workforce.

One of the acknowledged problems is the mobility of the labour force. As you would expect, most mining enterprises are not located in the major cities, but most skilled workers are. Economists have urged the government to increase social spending in areas where mining personnel are needed, in order to attract more workers there. It’s a big ask for an Australian family to uproot from the suburbs and move to the middle of nowhere to fill these skilled jobs.

For those of us who have the necessary skills and haven’t already put down roots in the Australian cities, though, it’s an open field. Australia’s mining industry needs 750,000 full-time workers in order to capitalise on the growing demand from the developing world. Can you help? There’s a new life Down Under waiting for you if you can.

• Browse Australian mining jobs at Mining Careers.com

After being hit by floods last summer that resulted in large parts of the state being declared a disaster zone, it seems Queensland’s economy is back in business.

According to State Premier Anna Bligh a new private sector report by CBA Economics Global Market Research team says Queensland’s economy is “ booming”.

The premier states that the teams positive assessment follows last week’s state final demand numbers which increased by 3.5% in seasonally adjusted terms in the June quarter to be a massive 5.7% higher than a year ago.

Ms Bligh said “Not only is Queensland’s economy being fuelled by flood recovery, but it’s rocketing ahead thanks to a massive private investment surge,” Adding “After a tough start, Queensland’s economy is back on its feet and back in business.

“Last week’s economic details released by the ABS showed big increases in construction work and private capital expenditure”.

“This is being backed up by our own building program – creating new infrastructure and new jobs right across the state.”

“Queensland has tens of billions of dollars in business investment in the pipeline, ready and raring to course through the veins of the Queensland economy.

“Unfortunately, there is a campaign out there to talk our economy down”.

“I know that Queensland has what it takes to ride out the tough times and enjoy the next era of economic prosperity.”