Fed: Migrants could help fill supply of IT workers: report

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-1999
Fed: Migrants could help fill supply of IT workers: report

By Debra Way

CANBERRA, Dec 22 AAP - Australia's booming information technology (IT) industry was
facing a dire shortage of experienced workers and universities were failing to churn out
enough local students to meet demand, a new report said today.

The report, published in Monash University's People and Places journal, said most of
the growth in supply of IT professionals would come from immigrants, trained in Australia
as full-fee paying overseas students.

But it warned there was also an urgent need for extra government funds for the training
of local students.

The report, by Bob Birrell, Ian Dobson, Bob Kinnaird and Fred Smith, found current
demand for skilled IT workers had outstripped expectations.

It had been projected that the number of computing professionals would jump from 79,400
in 1993-94 to 146,000 in 2004-05.

But official figures showed there were already 134,700 people working in that field
by August 1998.

The ability of Australian training institutions to keep up with demand was being strained,
the report said.

"Alarm bells have been ringing in both industry and government circles," it said.

"If Australia cannot produce the required number of computing professionals, then its
capacity to be a competitive global player in the knowledge industries is said to be under
threat."

The report questioned government figures which showed there was a healthy increase
of 139 per cent in computing graduates from 1989 to 1996, saying most of them were overseas
students who would take their skills offshore.

The growth rate of local people starting IT and computer courses between 1997 and 1998
was just 2.5 per cent, it said.

More than 70 per cent of new starters in those courses were overseas, full-fee paying students.

A recent federal government move to allow overseas students trained in Australia in
computing fields to apply for permanent residence after completing their studies had helped
address the situation, the report said.

The new rules had not been operating long enough to assess how many IT graduates would
take up the permanent residency option, but early indications were positive.

"Between August and November 1999, nearly 300 per month have applied for this assessment,"

the report said.

"On the face of it, the new immigration rules look likely to help deliver a major increment
to Australia's IT workforce and to do it in a way that increases the financial returns
to Australian universities."

AAP daw/bdme

KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY (

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