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| Тема |
 Bad news - IT Australia |
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| Автор |
Aussie (Меркантилен тип) |
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| Публикувано | 16.07.02 09:36 |
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Minister Suspends Priority Processing for ICT Workers
MPS 64/2002
The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Philip Ruddock, today announced that priority visa processing arrangements for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) workers would be suspended.
The Government introduced the priority processing arrangements for ICT workers on 1 February 2001 to help address the urgent and growing shortages that were affecting Australian business at that time.
The decision to suspend priority processing follows the announcement by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Abbott, that employment growth in the ICT industry had plateaued and unemployment rates among computing professionals had risen significantly over the past 12 months.
Priority processing was not necessary in the light of those changed circumstances but could be reactivated if there was a need in the future.
The present visa arrangements will still provide for business needs. Employers are able to sponsor skilled overseas workers where they can not meet these needs from the local labour market.
The labour market has already responded to the changes in the ICT sector and there was a decline in the number of positions filled by overseas workers on temporary visas in 2001-02.
"My Department works closely with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), the National Office for the Information Economy and the Department of Education, Science and Training to ensure that Australia is able to respond to current and future IT skills demands," Mr Ruddock said.
Mr Ruddock said he was awaiting the findings of the biannual national survey of ICT skills shortages, produced by DEWR, and would then consider whether further initiatives were required in relation to the immigration arrangements for ICT workers.
16 July 2002
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