THE Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) is assisting employers in sourcing skilled overseas workers at recruitment Expos and seminars being conducted in South Africa in September, England and Scotland in October – November 2007.
Changes to the Immigration regulations from 1 July mean that all overseas workers now have to meet minimum English language standards. This means that applicants from non-English speaking countries must pass an IELTS English test as part of their visa application.
It is likely that many potential workers from recent source countries such as China, India, Korea and the Philippines will be unable to meet this new requirement.
This will increase pressure (and competition) on skilled worker recruitment from traditional source countries such as the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Overseas workers from the United Kingdom and South Africa have long been traditional sources of skilled migration to Australia – close similarities in education, training and types of work experience have meant easy assimilation into the Australian work environment.
For more information, contact Glen Dival at CCI on 08 9365 7433 or email Glen.Dival@cciwa.com