As Australia rebuilds its economy after more than 18 months of COVID-19, economist are estimating an influx of two million migrants over the next five years.
Since Australia shut its international borders in March last year, business and industry have been grappling with a chronic shortage of workers.
That’s prompted calls from some leaders to swiftly reopen international borders and lift migration levels in a way not seen since World War II.
Australian businesses were already struggling with workforce shortages before the pandemic hit and now the ongoing border closures have aggravated the issue.
Right across the board from unskilled [migrants] through to very highly skilled medical professionals, we realis how dependent we are as a state and as a nation on immigration,” Professor Jock Collins from the UTS Business School told SBS News.