The value of skilled migration
Researchers from the Networks of Care study recently made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia.
The Inquiry received around 125 submissions from organisations and individuals, including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Association, the Australian Medical Association, the Australasian College of PeriAnaesthesia Nurses, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council, and the Children’s Cancer Institute.
Our key recommendations:
💡 Skilled migration requires a shift from an economy-focused, transactional perspective that views migrants primarily as a ‘workforce’, to a more people-centred approach.
💡 Employers and workplaces must work towards becoming 'welcoming employers' who understand the holistic needs of migrant workers and the cultural shift required to meet them.
💡 Skills assessment and professional registration processes for healthcare workers should be more accessible and affordable.
💡 Tailored settlement support should be made available to skilled migrants, particularly in areas of workforce shortages and in regional and rural areas.
💡 Temporary migrants’ access to education, health, and childcare services must be increased as an essential human right that leads to better economic and social outcomes, and recognises their contribution to Australia.
💰 We specifically commented on the limited ways in which the current benefits of skilled migration are measured, articulated and publicly understood, proposing a more holistic approach to assessing the multiple economic, social, and cultural outcomes of migration.
🫶 We highlighted the essential role of regional ‘soft infrastructures’ – local not-for-profit organisations, local councils, RDAs, community organisations, which need to be at the core of the regional policies’ design and support, where the designated settlement support, ‘hard’ infrastructure and services are scarce.