Unemployed Migrants

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about unemployed migrants.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: It was reported in InDaily earlier this week that migrants in South Australia are devastated by high unemployment. There are more than 15,000 permanent resident migrants settling in South Australia every year and over the past five years, 9,265 skilled migrants were successfully nominated by the state government for the Skilled Occupations list. The article stated that, 'Much of the job readiness training for migrants in Adelaide is useless, with limited vocational application.'

According to ABS statistics in January 2015, there were 54,442 unemployed South Australians born in Australia and another 15,651 unemployed people who were born overseas who have migrated over here in the last five years. Premier Weatherill announced at the 2014 state election that his main focus is on innovation, diversifying and growing the South Australian economy to create jobs and attract more people from interstate and overseas who come to work here. My questions to the minister are:

1. Does the minister believe the government is doing enough to find employment for skilled migrants?

2. What policy changes will the government introduce to address the large unemployment figures for migrants in South Australia?

3. The state is entering a phase of mass unemployment. How does the government intend to honour its state election policy of attracting additional international and interstate people when there are no employment opportunities available?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. The South Australian government participates in initiatives designed to help state and territory governments address skill shortages to attract overseas business people and encourage a more balanced settlement of Australia's skilled migrant intake.

While the South Australian government considers it essential to use the skilled migration program to fill some of its critical needs, we are committed to the training and upskilling of South Australians to ensure that locally trained South Australians have improved employment outcomes, and the Hon. Kyam Maher outlined one of those programs around the automotive industry in answering a question today.

Reflecting current labour market conditions since 2011-12, South Australia's share of overall skilled migrants has reduced and, while South Australia's national share of the program is small, the share we get is still important and supports growth in the economy. The South Australian government nominates skilled migrants from both offshore and onshore and also assists employers to sponsor skilled migrants.

Onshore applicants include graduates from South Australia's institutions who are generally only nominated where they are already in skilled employment, and onshore applicants may be nominated following temporary skilled work arrangements in South Australia. When nominating offshore applicants, obviously they cannot realistically be put in a job at the time of their arrival and, over time, the employment outcomes for these migrants increases the longer they have been here.

The most reliable survey available for skilled migrant outcomes for South Australia is the Continuous Survey of Australia's Migrants, run by the commonwealth government. This survey was first undertaken in late 2013 by nearly 9,000 migrants, and I am advised that further data will be available soon. The results highlight some employment challenges for skilled migrants, but it is not all doom and gloom.

At six months after settlement, 8.3 per cent of skilled primary applicants were unemployed, but these unemployment rates must be taken in the context of the participation rate. New skilled migrants living in South Australia had a labour force participation of 95.3 per cent—far higher than that for the Australian population, which was 64.8 per cent, and so that was a considerably higher rate of participation. Combined with employment rates similar to national rates, the labour force participation rates highlight the very strong contribution of skilled migrants to our economy.

We indeed provide a range of support services for skilled and unskilled migrants. We link them to service providers, particularly those who settle in our region, and provide information about Skills for All funded training and case management arrangements. Information and services to help skilled migrants are promoted to intending and newly-arrived migrants, including information about industries and opportunities in South Australia's regions.

Job search support information for skilled migrants is available on the Skills for All website, and job readiness workshops are also available. The newly-arrived skilled migrants are assisted to obtain recognition of their skills and qualifications gained overseas, so we provide assistance in that. They also access Skills for All funded training to improve their English language communication skills and are helped to gain an Australian qualification. Skills SA works with Skills for Jobs in Regions, and managers in regional South Australia work to help link migrants to job vacancies, with a particular focus being placed on matching skilled migrants in the area of, obviously, skill shortages.