The scale of overseas immigration in Australia is gradually recovering

According to the federal government's annual population report, driven by the successive return of Indian and Chinese students to Australia, by the middle of this year, Australia's net overseas migration is expected to reach the average annual trend of 235,000 before the epidemic.

The report pointed out that from 2020 to 21, Australia's overseas immigration dropped to the lowest level in history, and the travel restrictions caused by the epidemic caused a net loss of 85,000 people in Australia. From 2019 to 20 to 2025 to 26, the cumulative impact of the new crown epidemic on Australia's overseas net migration will reach 470,000 people, roughly equivalent to the population size of Canberra, but at the same time, Australia's 40 billion yuan in international education The industry is rebounding. From December 2021 to October 2022, the number of international students in Australia has increased by 122,000, and it is expected to return to pre-epidemic levels. As of mid-October 2022, compared with the previous December, the number of Chinese students has increased by 90%, or 36,000.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government welcomed the backlash in overseas migration. However, Chalmers warned that although Australia's immigration scale is recovering, the fertility rate is expected to continue to decline in the long term, and the average age of Australians will rise from 38.2 years in 2021 to 42.8 years in 2060, which will also lead to Australia's population continuing to age. change.

The report predicts that by 2060, Australia's population will reach 39.2 million, with natural population contributing a quarter of the growth and the remainder driven by overseas migration. Chalmers said this would pose a challenge for the Australian economy and the need to ensure we have enough labor force to support our society, but while immigration may help, it "is not the only answer" as the economy emerges from the worst of the pandemic. As the country recovers, severe skills and labor shortages are holding back Australian businesses and the economy.

The federal government has increased the skilled immigration quota from 160,000 to 195,000. In September last year, Home Affairs Minister O'Neil (Clare O'Neil) announced a review of the Australian immigration system. The final report will be submitted in February this year.

Chalmers also committed the Treasury to a white paper on employment by September, saying Australia's immigration environment must be sustainable and in Australia's national interest, rather than training and capacity-building as a substitute for the domestic workforce.