Two Deakin University academics; Jill Blackmore and Cate Gribble, of Deakin's Centre for Research in Educational Futures and Innovation, said that their study has been taken out of context.
Based on their research various agencies as well as news outlets have stated that Accounting and many ICT and Engineering occupations will be taken off of Skills Occupations List.
However they've said in their recent interview with the Australian "Shortages continue to exist in areas of accounting, engineering and nursing,"
"Our study was not an analysis of the accounting labour market in Australia or in other countries. It involved in-depth interviews with international graduates, employers, industry bodies, university staff and government." they said.
They said issues emerging from the interviews included the view that "credentials alone" were no guarantee of a job, and that the labour markets in specific fields within these professions were quite different.
The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA)
recently release a report that sent shivers down the spines of international students due to their so called, borderline list of occupations. This occupation list is flagged for discussion about their continued inclusion on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)
This report has led to many speculations that these occupations may be removed from the SOL list.
The AWPA report along with the the 2012-13 Skill Shortage report from Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has created concern among international students studying certain occupations and many websites, forums and individuals are encouraging panic among applicants.
There are a number of factors that need to be taken into account before any occupation is removed from the SOL. The AWPA web site states; "These occupations may be removed in future years subject to monitoring of the labour market, education and migration data and evidence from stakeholders in relation to future oversupply issues, migration outcomes and areas of specific need."
According to the website these occupations are merely being monitored for significant changes in labour market conditions. Whether or not these occupations will be removed is not the focus of this report at all. As the Australian economy grows and changes the occupations that will be needed to support said growth will also differ but it is not one report that will the change things.
No one can predict what occupation will be removed or added to the SOL or CSOL list, these lists are made keeping in mind the current, emerging and predicted needs of the Australian economy. These trends do not change over night and unsubstantiated claims of occupations being removed from the list creates panic and insecurity amongst international students.
Freelancer.com chief in his recent interview published by the Australian Financial Review has stated the complete opposite of the
DEEWR Skills Shortages report "It's just so hard to find qualified software engineers - at all levels. It's an absolute national tragedy what is happening in technology. Basically, it's more expensive to me on a cash basis to hire a University of Sydney graduate than a Stanford graduate."
"We're trying to hire computer �science graduates by the metric tonne. When we place a job ad, we get perhaps one or two applicants per day," he said in a World Economic Forum report. In contrast, he said, a job for an office manager got 350 applicants in two days.
Adam Redman, head of policy and external affairs at the ACS, said the �government and universities must address the declining interest in IT to avoid a potential shortage of skills. "There just isn't enough to meet industry demand. That demand is increasing as other sectors turn to technology, as the old ways of doing business are being disrupted. Manufacturing and retail are clear examples of that."
You can read the full articles from the Australian Financial Review here and here. The industry players are stating the exact opposite of the reports however these reports have given rise to various businesses sending out emails and posting things like Is your occupation in danger? SOL list changes, Last chance for accountants? and Accountants maybe removed from Skilled Occupation List.
As the AWPA website mentions industry stakeholders have a major say in the final changes made to the SOL list and various spokes persons from peak professional bodies have spoken out about these speculations and rubbished them.
If one is eligible it is always better to lodge a visa application sooner rather than later however to make hasty decisions because of unsubstantiated claims can lead to hurdles later. So please make informed decisions based on actual options available to you and not urgency created by speculations.