IMMIGRATION: A KEY PART OF THE SKILLS SHORTAGE SOLUTION

At Autocare 2023, immigration specialist Fred Molloy spoke on the importance of considering overseas recruitment as one way to combat skills shortages

AutoRecruiter and Konnecting Migration Managing Director and Registered Migration Agent, Fred Molloy, was a popular presenter in Autocare 2023’s seminar series.

Fred was frequently sought out by attendees throughout the show who had many questions about this approach to the skills shortage, including at the Race to Find and Keep Top Talent seminar (see page 62 for more on that seminar).

While not “the answer” to the skills shortage, Fred explained that overseas recruitment could be an important and useful avenue for workshops looking for employees – if they are able to commit to planning ahead, as the process can take between three and 12 months depending on the situation and require quite an investment.

“This isn’t a case of, ‘I lost a technician, I need someone next week, or next month.’ It doesn’t work like that. Overseas recruitment needs to be a long-term, strategic approach to hiring, and sit alongside local hires and apprentices as part of an overall strategy,” Fred said.

While workshops were quick to ask about the risks when recruiting internationally, Fred says there are also some key benefits to consider.

“I am finding retention rates of 90 percent for overseas hires,” Fred said.

“As well as increased retention, we are seeing that these hires are, on average, more grateful, more loyal and more productive, and all of those things are positive for workshops.

“You can also be relatively assured of competency – many of these recruits are skills assessed and/ or have undergone extensive work history checks so you can have the confidence that they can do the job.”

Workshops hoping to pay less for international employees need to be cautious.

“You aren’t bringing in overseas recruits for lower wages. You need to benchmark against local salaries – that is part of the visa approval process and a government requirement, so as not to undercut local wages,” Fred explained. For workshops looking to consider overseas recruitment, Fred has the following tips.

“Firstly – get professional advice. There is a process, and if you get a step wrong, you lose your money you have paid to the government, and the visa falls through as well. There are a lot of variables