SKILL TO POST-COVID CITY LIES IN MIGRATION
AUSTRALIA has experienced a flow of immigrants since the beginning of the twentieth century, and today our country has a rich diversity of culture, along with a healthy agriculture and culinary food base that has contributed to our social fabric.
These early immigrants worked tirelessly to pursue a better life and build a future for their families, and nothing was too hard. The flow of immigration stagnated in the 70’s due to the economic turbulence, and is most timely to see the government’s recent announcement to accelerate our net migration.
By stimulating our net migration to Australia similar to the post World War 2 period, will create demand, increase growth and ignite the richness of a diverse and bountiful country.
Over the last several centuries, another fundamental shift in our collective migration history has been unfolding: urbanisation, that is, the gradual displacement of rural and pastoral livelihoods by urban-centric social and economic organisation. This process of urbanisation, from a global perspective, has witnessed the mass movement of humanity from rural areas to urban centres, within their homelands or outside of them. Humanity is in the midst of another migration transition, and the causes and consequences of these new population movements are what we are grappling to
understand today.
The social forces driving humanity’s urban transition are complex. Technological innovations in manufacturing and transport led to the widescale displacement of traditional systems of economic production, which often relied on producing goods by hand, with machinebased systems of production that tend to concentrate production processes in urban areas. And as the world becomes increasingly connected, the destinations potential migrants consider become increasingly distant.
Many governments remain ill-prepared to respond to the opportunities and challenges migration presents to their societies. Migration policies in many countries tend to favour
the entry of the so-called “highly skilled” while restricting the entry of “lowskilled” workers, asylum seekers and refugees. Let’s hope we welcome all those that seek a better life for their families and have a strong desire to contribute at all levels and add great value across our entire workforce.
In particular, manufacturing is critical to a modern Australian economy. It is a vital part of Australia’s response to the Covid-19 crisis and key to almost every supply chain.
Despite our world-class skills and incredible natural assets, manufacturing in Australia has stagnated.
As a nation we need to scale up, improve our competitiveness and build
more resilient supply chains, recognising the constraints we have endured during Covid and how reliant we are as consumers for overseas products.
Every industry is experiencing lengthy delays in materials and products arriving from overseas and no doubt the impact on the upcoming festive season will be felt by all.
On the local front, it is encouraging to see that the Queensland Government has opened the Gold Coast Manufacturing Hub to enhance support to the local industry, but more is needed.
Migration is and always will be a key ingredient to the social fabric of our young and growing nation and a vital contributor to our skill base.