With the Federal Government announcing plans to overhaul the 457 temporary foreign worker visa, this story in the Sydney Morning Herald caught our attention.
Leading businesswoman Diane Smith-Gander, a non-executive director of AGL Energy, Wesfarmers and Safe Work Australia, is calling on the Government to allow nannies from Pacific Island nations to come to Australia to combat our childcare shortage.
Childcare workers are some of the lowest paid workers in Australia, with an average wage of $21.67 according to PayScale.
But did you know for an aged care worker, it’s even lower? Just $21 an hour based on PayScale’s calculations.
Personal care workers – who make up 70 per cent of the workforce – receive an average of $45,000 a year for a 38-hour week.
Providers struggling to recruit workers
It’s no wonder our aged care providers are struggling to find staff, particularly in rural and remote areas.
Just last week, Queensland aged care provider Ozcare began recruiting for its new Hervey Bay aged care facility – even though it won’t open until September.
While aged care has not been cut from the list of skilled occupations, under the new changes there will now be limits on the number of times visas can be renewed.
There will also be mandatory labour market testing – so employers will have to show they have tried to hire local workers before they can apply to recruit from overseas.
As Ms Smith-Gander says: “Surely restricting supply of overseas workers isn’t going to result in a sudden rush of Australians wanting these jobs,” she said.
So we need these foreign workers – now. How else can we ensure our elderly get the support they need?
