| The ranks of Australia's skilled workers have been | | | | level in the last 10 years. Australian Government |
| boosted by almost 78,000 in the past year in an effort | | | | statistics confirm 89% of Skilled Independent Visa |
| to solve the country's skills shortage. | | | | holders gain employment within the first six months. |
| It's the largest intake of skilled migrants since the late | | | | A total of 18,700 migrants took advantage of the |
| 1980s. | | | | state-specific and regional migration program, with |
| Australian Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said | | | | 7,100 settling in Victoria and almost 5,000 calling South |
| the government had responded to the shortage by | | | | Australia home - an increase of almost 140 per cent in |
| bringing record numbers of skilled migrants to the | | | | SA on 2003-04 figures. |
| country. The Australian Government has made over | | | | When it came to specific skills, the biggest increase |
| 97,500 Skilled Visas available for 2005-06. | | | | came in the form of doctors, with 260 migrating to |
| In recent months over 150,000 jobs have been | | | | Australia in 2004-05 - this is a 300% increase on |
| advertised weekly, and unemployment is at the lowest | | | | previous year. |