Migrant Accountants--High Numbers, Poor Outcomes (Report‪)‬

The current Minister for Immigration, Senator Evans has said: 'The Prime Minister has made it clear, as I have, that the migration program needs to be sensitive to the economic needs and employment prospects of the country'. (1) The Minister has also stated that these needs are 'linked to the state of the economy and the demand for labour. A large part of the program--I think about 70 per cent currently--is in the skilled migration area, bringing people in to fill labour and skills shortages in this country'. (2) As Senator Evans has implied, in the present economic circumstances, it makes no sense to be running a record high skilled migration program if it is not meeting this objective. This article focuses on accountants. They constitute by far the largest single occupation group within the current skilled-migration program. However, their record in obtaining employment as accountants, despite severe shortages in the profession, has been abysmal, even in the boom times to mid-2008. This experience indicates the potential for pruning the current program without damage to its core objective of filling skill shortages.