While the Turnbull government’s recent announcement that they are axing the 457 Visa program has federal officials calling it a victory for Australian workers, Associate Professor Mohan Thite of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing believes the decision is short-sighted.
“Cracking a whip to make sure businesses only hire locals is more of a political statement than a pragmatic one because it assumes employers want to hire overseas workers rather than locals, which is simply not true,” said Thite.
“If I’m an employer I would much rather have a local person if they meet all my requirements because it’s so much less of a headache for me. If I’m hiring an engineer, a doctor or an IT manager from India or China, all their personal problems become my personal problems. Are they going to get their visa? Do they understand the language? Do they have family issues settling down in Australia?”
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