Accounting for Skill Shortages? Migration and the Australian Labour Market

Abstract

Although recent circumstances have rekindled interest in matching skilled migrant intakes to domestic labour needs, the factors contributing to migrant employment outcomes remain poorly understood. Contemporary research tends to focus on the best and worst of skilled migrant outcomes – either integration into elite transnational labour markets or relegation to relatively menial work. By approaching the issue from a perspective attuned to differentiated labour markets and their multiple segmentations, this paper argues that skilled migrant outcomes are best examined at the scale of occupations, with analysis oriented to understanding mobility across groups of related occupations. Using the example of the ‘in demand’ occupation of accountants migrating to Australia in the years 2005 to 2010, the paper's analysis of data from the Continuous Survey of Australia's Migrants reveals that migrant accountants trickled across and trickled down to a wide range of accounting‐related occupations. Individual migrant's positions were conditioned by the intertwined effects of region of origin, gender, and migration pathway. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy implications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Negotiating ‘otherness’ as skilled migrants

“…Demand for accounting and finance skills in Australia has been boosted by the financialization of the economy and growth of the mining and resource extraction sectors in recent decades (Weller, 2017;Yap et al, 2014). As a response, the government included accounting in the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) in 2004 (Yap et al, 2014: 563).…”

“…Between 2005 and 2012, accounting has been the occupation under which the highest number of skill-based residencies was granted; an average of more than 9000 migrants were admitted to Australia based on skills assessment in accounting between 2005 and 2012 (Department of Immigration andCitizenship, 2005-2012). Until 2011, migrant intake in the occupations listed under the MODL was uncapped (Weller, 2017). Studies have shown that migrants who received permanent residency based on skills assessed for accounting work in a range of occupations variously related to accounting, including clerical, administrative, and bookkeeping jobs (Weller, 2017).…”

“…Until 2011, migrant intake in the occupations listed under the MODL was uncapped (Weller, 2017). Studies have shown that migrants who received permanent residency based on skills assessed for accounting work in a range of occupations variously related to accounting, including clerical, administrative, and bookkeeping jobs (Weller, 2017).…”

“…Once obtaining an Australian degree in accounting became identified as a migration pathway in the points system, universities, whose government funding was reduced in the same period, exploited the demand by expanding admission of international students in areas that would earn them permanent residency (Ziguras, 2012). Between 2005 and 2012, approximately 30,000 international students were enrolled in accounting programs in Australian universities on a rolling yearly basis (Weller, 2017). Admission rates of international students in Australian accounting programs did not diminish after the employer sponsorship pathway, which privileged experience over an Australian degree, was given priority (Weller, 2017).…”

Examining the Usefulness of an Accounting Work‐readiness Program as Perceived by Employed Program Graduates

“…While the growth in international students completing studies in Australia was anticipated to address the skills shortage in the accounting profession, a lack of English language proficiency has meant that skills shortages continue (Weller ). This is demonstrated by the poor full‐time employment outcomes for international accounting graduates (DEEWR ).…”