Australian ministers Chris Evans and Chris Bowen made the announcement jointly with the US ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey Bleich.
They said that demand for skilled construction workers is likely to peak over the next three to five years as a number of projects are due to start. Both governments recognise the potential to match that demand with the potential supply of workers in the USA.
The measures will allow workers from the US in licensed occupations, such as electricians and plumbers, to be granted immediate access to provisional Australian licences on arrival. More broadly, the skills assessment process will assure Australian employers how the skills of US workers align with their needs.
“While the government's first priority is to train Australians for jobs in the resources and construction sectors, projections show that we will need workers from overseas for a peak in activity in the next three to five years,” said Evans. “This is a great opportunity to address skill shortages in Australia by filling shortfalls in particular areas with qualified candidates from the United States, with applications expected to open from mid-April. I understand some of the relevant unions have been talking to their US counterparts about the opportunities for skilled US workers to fill shortages in the resources sector over the next three to four years.”
Currently, such workers need to be assessed onshore which can mean waiting months between entry and starting work. Under the new skills assessment process, US workers will be assessed against Australian regulatory requirements before entering Australia, providing certainty to applicants and employers.
Such assessments are already available in other countries and it is seen as logical to extend them to the US given their potential supply of workers and the interest of Australian employers.
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