|
 IMPLICATIONS OF THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN FOR IMMIGRATION AND SOCIAL COHESION
Des Storer, a Professor with the Institute, recently completed a report on the Implications of the Economic Downturn for Immigration and Social Cohesion.
This report considers whether the economic downturn in Australia commencing in 2008 will have the same implications in reducing immigration intakes and increasing social conflicts between new immigrants and existing residents, as occurred in earlier recessions in Australia in the 1980’s and 1990’s and is currently occurring in other advanced economies.
The report shows that immigration today is different to that of the 1980’s and the early 1990’s. Australia today is more dependant on increasing its immigration intakes to meet labour force replacement requirements especially of those people with professional and trades skills. To obtain such highly skilled persons, Australia has over the past decade been increasing not only its annual intakes of permanent migrants but has also been increasing the numbers of persons coming on 4 year employer sponsored temporary visas (457 visas). The same decade has seen increasing numbers of international students coming to Australia to study and obtain such needed skills.
The report concludes, by arguing, that it’s not the annual intakes of permanent skilled migrants that potentially could lead to any social cohesion problems. Rather, it is those long term temporary migrants, either on 457 visas (with limited trades skills); international students, and recently settled refugees who have limited skills and income and consequently settle in poorer, less well to do suburbs and regions in Australia that increasingly will be the focus of social cohesion problems over the coming decade.
The report suggests a range of information and social cohesion strategies that might be focused on by policy makers and support agencies to meet these new challenges.
This project was sponsored by the Scanlon Foundation.
Download Electronic Report Here |
