DIMIA Annual Report 2001-02
INTERNATIONAL RACE FOR SKILLED MIGRANTS
'…a global market in migrants exists where immigration is regarded as an engine of growth. Human resource skills are perceived as national economic resources for which countries are in competition.'
Professor John Salt, London University
Until relatively recently the international competition for skilled migrants took place only between the countries of traditional migration, especially Australia and Canada. Then, in the 1990s, the USA entered the race, followed more recently still by Europe.
Fig. 5. demonstrates that on a per capita basis, Australia is attracting more net migration than any of the other major countries of immigration. And a greater proportion of Australia's migrants are chosen on the basis of their skills than in many other comparable countries such as the USA and the UK.
The sharp increase in the international demand for skilled migrants can be attributed to three factors. Firstly, the populations of many developed nations are ageing, meaning that their workforces are also ageing, and their rate of growth is declining.
Secondly, the growth of a global economy has been accompanied by 'a complex pattern of exchange of professional, managerial and technical staff', as Professor John Salt, an international migration expert based at London University, has put it.
Thirdly, specific shortages of highly skilled workers are occurring
within vital economic sectors in many countries, leading to a rapid
increase in temporary entry programs to fill these short to medium
term gaps in the labour market.
