The Australian Government has introduced new aged care labour agreements that will allow aged care providers access to a personalised visa arrangement, enabling them to hire overseas workers with specialised skills that can cater for the needs of older Australians.
These new agreements will provide overseas workers with more employment opportunities and fill the skill shortage that currently exists in the Australian aged care sector.
With a long history of migration in Australia, there are a significant number of older Australians that speak more than one language.
As elderly people, or for those with dementia, they may revert back to their native language or lose the ability to speak multiple languages.
The Australian Government has recognised the need for bilingual carers who can understand and look after these older Australians. Through the new labour agreements, aged care providers are given the opportunity to hire overseas workers that can cater for the communication and cultural needs of their residences and provide them with quality care.
New research from the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre revealed that 37% of current aged care workers were born overseas, which means that there is already a high percentage of migrant employees working in the aged care sector, in comparison to other national work sectors.
However, according to the Governments 2017 report, over half of all aged care facilities report shortages of personal care assistants.
With one third of community care providers stating that they do not have enough staff, it is clear that the care workforce is becoming increasingly dependent upon migrants to fill these skill shortages in Australia.
This new labour agreement can be seen as a win-win situation for all parties involved, as it enables aged care providers to resolve the issue of skill shortages, while also giving migrants more work opportunities in Australia.
Aged care providers can use the company specific labour agreement to sponsor a skilled overseas worker, either under the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, or an Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa.
The Department of Home Affairs has made this required occupation available on the list of eligible skilled occupations to enable aged care providers access to overseas workers where they previously have been unable to.
In order to successfully implement these new labour agreements, the aged care sector will be responsible for finding a competent and skilled workforce that matches the diversity of older Australians.
Sourcing appropriate skilled people from overseas with language proficiency and cultural competency will be key in overcoming the communication barrier and skill shortage that currently exists in the aged care sector.
If you are interested in working in the Australian aged care sector, or would like to know more about the new labour agreement, please call Results Migration on 1800 808 717 or email us on [email protected] to book your free consultation today!
