SiteMinder’s Global Head of People writes for the AFR
Visa changes don't solve crippling skills problems
By Dionne Niven
In recent months, we have seen two positive signals that the government is recognising the current conditions of skilled visas as having a dramatic impact on the performance of certain Australian industries.
Both the overhaul of the skilled migration occupation lists, and the Global Talent - Employer Sponsored visa program being made permanent, are good first steps towards preparing for Australia's future.
If Australia is to become a true innovation leader, what we urgently need is a radical mindset shift towards skilled migration within the technology sector. Erin Jonasson
However, these initiatives neither solve our short-term challenges nor make it any easier to hire the tech skills we need, here and now.
For SiteMinder, which began as a two-person operation in Sydney and has grown to become one of our country’s biggest global success stories, the Temporary Skill Shortage visa has helped to bring in key talent we otherwise would not have had the opportunity to access.
However, the process for the visa program is long and cumbersome, and the costs involved have increased dramatically - by up to 162 per cent for each individual in some instances - making it far too prohibitive for most local technology businesses to access the benefits.
The criteria have also tightened, so roles previously considered to be a shortage no longer qualify in spite of a real shortage existing.
The lack of a route to permanent residency for the large number of business-critical roles that now fall within the first stream of this visa is another central issue. This category grants just a two-year stay, and does not have a path to residency unless the individual relocates to a rural area.
From a practical level, what this means for any business like ours is a significant uptick in staff turnover and a heavy burden to spend far more time relocating talent.
This, combined with the multifunctional nature of many businesses, creates a measurable reduction in productivity - just as individuals begin creating a meaningful impact, they are forced to leave and organisations are forced to start the onboarding cycle all over again.
As the head of people for a workforce of more than 800 around the world, almost a fifth of which are employed in highly-technical fields, I’ve witnessed the human side of this debate and the real struggles of families who are prematurely uprooted just as their young children are settling into schools and career progress is beginning to be made.
It is a frustration shared by many, who feel that both business and personal potential is being hampered by short-sighted policy.
Our sector is fast-paced and what the government must understand is that by making it exponentially more difficult to attract high-quality senior personnel, Australia will continue to lose the global war on talent and innovation.
Those in high demand from overseas are typically very skilled, tenured and have families. If they don't see a future here in Australia, why would they apply?
The gravity of the situation is only set to intensify. The Australian Computer Societies’ Digital Pulse report prepared by Deloitte last week outlined the need for an additional 100,000 local workers within tech by 2024.
When set against the overall decline in IT subject enrolments between 2016-17 at a vocational level, this provides a very worrying trend.
A situation is created where in-demand local grads come out of university with no experience and yet demand big salaries, simply because they can. As a technology business, we, of course, want to give them the opportunity to launch their careers, but does it fill the void?
How should we be expected to justify that spend?
If Australia is to become a true innovation leader, what we urgently need is a radical mindset shift towards skilled migration within the technology sector.
The implications of adopting a more holistic approach that provides potential candidates with the promise of a sustainable future in our country will have widespread positive impacts on our economy, people, and country's ability to truly compete at the global level, and will show that Australia is ready to foster innovation with a more human approach.
Dionne Niven is Global Head of People at SiteMinder