Occupations In IT, Accountancy And Nurses Sectors Attract Australian Skilled Immigration

01 Nov 2010

Accountants, IT workers, and nurses top the skilled worker occupations under the permanent skilled immigration visa programs in 2009-10. Accountants topped by 6,734, computing professionals followed at 5,370 and nurses at 3,960.

According to a Report on Migration Program 2009-10, over 60 percent of skilled immigrants were applicants in categories targeted by the government as experiencing skills shortages, a 12 percent increase on the previous year. The number of people granted Australian residency was 168,623 out of which 107,868 were skilled immigrants which mean 64 percent of the total under migration program.

India is among the top three countries of citizenship for all permanent skilled visa categories.

Earlier, the government took steps to reduce Australian immigration but still depending on high requirement of foreign-labor due to shortages in its labor markets. The proportion of overseas workers sponsored by Australian employers continued to rise and making up 38 percent of the 2009-10 skilled immigration.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said, “This outcome is consistent with the government's focus on high-demand, employer-sponsored professionals in areas where Australia has critical skill shortages."

And added, “The program met the government's objective of sharpening the focus on skilled migration and targeting the needs of Australian industries and employers."