What the Skills in Demand visa means for Australian employers hiring global talent
Navigating Australia’s immigration system has always required some adaptability on the part of employers seeking to hire global talent. But with the latest skills in demand visa update, that flexibility is now a fundamental pillar of the process. For businesses in Australia, this shift towards a faster, more agile system impacts how you hire, how quickly you can hire, and where your organisation sits relative to the competition.
Ending dependence on legacy visa programs
In the past, employers have had to use legacy visa programs to bring in overseas workers. These visas tended to move more slowly, involved more red tape, and were far less adaptable to market demand.
The Skills in Demand Visa streamlines this process by doing away with overly broad visa categories. Instead of applying for candidates to fill in wide-ranging roles like “ICT Professional” or ‘Specialist Manager’, employers can be more specific about the skills they need.
This also extends to how those visas are processed. The old system used to require several layers of approval, many of which have been eliminated. Additionally, the eligibility requirements are less burdensome for employers.
Instead of an immigration system trying to limit arrivals, it’s slowly moving towards a system that better responds to demand. That means employers have more power than ever to address workforce gaps.
Cutting down on hiring times
Simply put, skilled workers aren’t going to wait around for your business to sponsor a visa. Australia can face slower hiring timelines compared to some other countries, and when you factor in global competition for talent, speed becomes even more critical.
Delays were once widely accepted as part of the process. But following recent visa reforms, employer-sponsored applications have become faster and more streamlined. The Skills in Demand Visa is designed to build on these improvements by simplifying the application process.
Digitisation, clearer documentation requirements, and more defined eligibility criteria are all contributing to a more efficient system.
That means less time waiting on your HR department to decipher the application process and more time recruiting great staff.
Filling important skills shortages
Skill shortages are affecting countless industries all over Australia. Whether you’re in the healthcare industry and can’t find workers to staff your rural clinic, or you’re in the building sector and simply can’t find enough qualified tradesmen to meet demand, skill shortages are real.
What’s worse is that projected shortages are expected to grow in the coming years. This creates a problem for businesses that continue to face limited domestic supplies of key skills.
The Skills in Demand Visa aims to solve some of those issues by allowing employers to target their recruitment strategies. Instead of visas being categorised by job type, they reflect actual needs in the economy.
Employers will now find it easier to identify which positions they can target for overseas workers. And with processing times improving, there’s never been a better time to hire global talent.
Planning for the future of global hiring
With changing migration policies, employers need to be more strategic in their hiring practices. This doesn’t just mean having an immigration agent in Australia on speed dial when a position opens up. It means forecasting your labour needs years down the track. By understanding the skills gaps your business needs to address, you can develop a hiring strategy that takes advantage of existing visa categories.
When hiring overseas talent becomes part of your business’s long-term workforce plan, you’ll always be one step ahead of businesses that aren’t forecasting as far into the future.
Keeping abreast of shifting policies will also put you ahead of businesses that are floundering amid the changes. Working with migration agents in Australia who specialise in streamlining the change process will allow your business to hire more quickly than your competitors.
Better retention with skilled employees
An often-overlooked aspect of employer-sponsored migration is employee retention. Many of the older visa streams did not offer employees a secure future. Whether it be unclear pathways to permanency or short visa time frames, skilled workers have had many reasons not to commit to an employer.
Thanks to clearer pathways for employees on the Skills in Demand Visa, sponsored employees will have more confidence in their decision to work for your business. That can lead to better retention rates and long-term commitment from your staff.
When you reduce turnover, you not only save your business the time and money of hiring and training new employees. You build a more reliable and stable team that your business can continue to grow with for years to come.
The Skills in Demand Visa update opens a world of opportunities for Australian employers.
It doesn’t just allow for quicker and simpler hiring. It also enables your business to focus on niche areas of need.
While you explore these new opportunities, Australian migration agents can help your business adapt to policy changes and recruit great employees.
