Today, the Federal Government released the Employment White Paper, Working Future. The Paper outlines the Government’s vision for a dynamic and inclusive labour market.
The Paper presents a roadmap which identifies future reform directions across 10 policy areas, one of which is reform of the migration system.
Migration is a relatively minor focus within the Paper, essentially restating the positions that the Government had previously outlined in the Review of the Migration System and the accompanying Draft Migration Strategy in April 2023.
The Final Migration Strategy is expected to be released in the coming weeks and before the end of 2023. Today's Employment White Paper offers a preview of what we can expect when the final Strategy is made public.
Actions to reform the migration system
The Government has acknowledged and emphasised the key role migration plays in complementing the skills of the existing workforce, and in contributing to productivity growth, whilst making it clear migration is not a substitute for investing in the skills of Australians.
The Paper summarised actions already implemented, currently underway, and part of future directions to reform the migration system.
Already implemented
Actions already taken to reform the migration system include reducing the visa backlog and visa processing times, raising the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, and increasing the permanent migration planning level.
The Paper also refers to providing a pathway to permanent residency for all temporary skilled visa holders, which was announced earlier this year but is still pending, as the specific criteria for this pathway have not yet been released.
Actions underway
The Paper summarises two key reforms to the migration system currently underway.
Migration Strategy
The new Migration Strategy, which is due to be released in the coming weeks, is expected to address proposed reforms to the skilled migration program, as well as strengthening the integrity of international education.
One key aspect of the Migration Strategy will be Australia's new temporary skilled migration system.
The government has indicated there will be three pathways for temporary skilled workers:
- A fast and simplified pathway for specialised, highly specialised workers;
- A mainstream temporary skilled pathway for applicants with core skills, which will be informed by advice from Jobs and Skills Australia; and
- A regulated pathway for workers with essential skills, such as in the care sector.
The new temporary skilled worker pathways are expected to be supported by increasing mobility of migrant workers, allowing them to switch between employers more easily. There is also a heightened focus on providing more permanent options for skilled migrants.
Further measures to combat worker exploitation
The Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Bill 2023 is aimed at targeting underpayment and exploitation of migration workers. If passed, it will increase penalties and introduce new compliance measures against employers who exploit temporary visa holders.
The Paper refers to these and other measures underway focussed on combatting worker exploitation.
Future reform directions
The Paper sets out a number of high level future reform directions. However, at this stage, detail on the specifics of the reforms are not yet available.
These are expected to be outlined in greater detail with the release of the new Migration Strategy.
A release date for the new Migration Strategy has not yet be confirmed, but is expected before the end of 2023.
MinterEllison can assist by providing advice on how expected reforms may impact employer's visa holding workforce and international recruitment strategy. If you have any questions, please reach out to our team.
