<Australia Breake News = Editor By Eddy Kim>
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The shortage of people in Australia due to Corona 19 continues. In some jobs, there is even a shortage of manpower, but no government trick has been taken. <Graphic © Australia Break News Design Team> ©aubreaknews
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The visa policy of the authorities has come under fire due to the growing shortage of job openings in Australia.
In Australia, there are complaints about the government's visa policy, as it is difficult to bring in workers from abroad, such as the border being blocked and the working holiday system being temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
According to the Australian National Statistical Office, the unemployment rate stood at 5.6 percent in March this year, continuing to decline since hitting a 7.5 percent high in July last year. Between November last year and February this year, "job vacancy" alone increased by 14 percent to 289,000.
The "empty jobs" result is an increase of about 61,000 compared to the previous year, reflecting the situation in which employers such as companies, institutions, and service companies started hiring jobs at once as the spread of Covid-19 subsided in the second half of last year.
The main cause is the border blockade. Traditionally, the Australian government has operated a temporary visa system and a flexible visa system for highly skilled technicians to cover insufficient manpower such as field and professional jobs. However, the spread of Covid-19 is rapidly accelerating job shortages.
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▲ Australia's agricultural sector is the most affected industry by the shortage of manpower. © Australia Break News
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In particular, there is a serious shortage of jobs in the service sector, such as local farms and orchards and salespeople. Professional technology personnel in construction and manufacturing, high-tech, medical and social welfare are also unable to find jobs. The lodging and restaurant business also led to a shortage of temporary visa holders such as working holidays.
South Korean companies operating in the region are no exception. As many Korean students left right after the Covid-19 outbreak, not only Australian companies but also Korean companies entering the country are suffering from job openings. According to KOTRA Sydney Trade Center, more and more companies are in trouble because there are no applicants for the job openings.
Prior to Covid-19, Australia had the second highest proportion of overseas workers among OECD countries. After Covid-19, the situation reversed as the Australian government banned overseas entry except for special exceptions. In December last year, 2,720 people entered Australia as technology immigrants, less than 10 percent year-on-year.
Australia, like Korea, has suffered from a shortage of job openings centered on local cities, but the fact that it has worsened since Covid-19 adds seriousness. According to a report by the Australian media Regional Australia Institute, the number of jobs between Australia's population-intensive cities and other regions has been rapidly changing since Covid-19.
The shortage of local jobs is expected to intensify. According to the Australian National Statistical Office, there were about 66,200 empty jobs in Australia in the first quarter of this year. They are mostly field workers, chefs, and general salespeople at farms and orchards. In addition, technical engineers, accountants, lawyers, and doctors are also in short supply.
Also a problem is the government's poor talent training policy. Australia's preference for leisure, spacious housing and telecommuting among millennials led to a boom in migration to the outskirts, which added to the shortage of manpower in the outskirts. However, there was no government investment in technical training and vocational training in provincial cities.
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▲ Although it is urgent to improve the government's visa policy regarding the shortage of workers in Australia, the Australian government continues its existing stance. <Graphic © Australian Break News Design Team> © Australian Break News
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Empty jobs in Australia are expected to continue for some time. This is because even if they prepare to get a job in Australia right away to create jobs that are lacking, it is difficult to issue visas or even enter the country due to Covid-19.
It has been a long time since there have been voices of dissatisfaction with the government's lukewarm response. An official from the Sydney job consulting industry pointed out, "Although temporary visa holders, such as international students and residents who are already in Australia, continue to demand an extension of the visa deadline and easing residence requirements."
Sydney's Korean company has long since workers from Nepal and India replaced Koreans.
Attention is focusing on whether the Australian government will continue its stance of a "new closed country policy" in the future, citing difficult conditions for issuing resident visas in the face of difficult job openings domestically.
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