Recruiter: Australian IT workers neglected

The only shortage that exists in Australia's ICT landscape is insufficient assistance for jobless workers, said leading technology recruitment agency VTR Consulting.

"The interesting question is why the immigration department invites the ITCRA view on these issues without seeking counterbalancing views. ITCRA is just a pack of sales people."
-- Ian, Canberra

"There is a total lack of support for local technology workers from all quarters, including government (both state and federal), and "industry" associations such as the AIIA (Australian Information Industry Association), ITCRA (Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association) and ACS (Australian Computer Society)," said Vincent Teubler, managing director at Melbourne-based VTR Consulting.
Teubler was responding to ITCRA's claims that the government needs to increase the number of temporary working visas to address the "skills shortage" in the ICT industry. But no such shortage exists, he says in a column exclusive to ZDNet Australia.
"Based on my experience, it's getting more and more difficult for locals to compete against foreign professionals because the barriers, within Australia, keep getting higher and higher," he said.

"It's very clear that Australian ICT workers will continue to be disappointed and if we don't care for ourselves, who will," he asked.

At a recent meeting with business leaders and Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone on the 2005-2006 Migration Program, representatives from ITCRA included two contractor management companies, which have a vested interest in a higher volume of skilled migrant visas.

"These companies [obviously] stand to benefit from any increase in foreign workers," he said.