Immigration by Numbers June 2021
10,000: the number by which Australia’s shortage of farm workers would be exacerbated with the free trade deal between the UK and Australia, expected to be signed today. The Nationals say that dis-allowing the second 12-month working holiday visa extension to British backpackers who do farm work will lead to a loss of up to 10,000 farm workers a year who come from the UK.
88: the number of days a UK national would need to work in the agricultural sector in order to qualify for a second working visa under the present rules, at least until any changes announced in today’s new free trade deal with the UK.
25,000: the number of estimated Pacific Islanders willing to undertake agricultural work in Australia.
$50bn: the value of Australia’s agricultural exports, of which $700 million is to the UK.
In other news…
5.9%: the decade-high lift in retail spending in 2020-21 with government stimulus, lockdowns and the closed international borders.
5.8%: the percentage fall in payroll for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees, following the expiry of the $90bn JobKeeper wage subsidy program in March 2021.
5.5%: the percentage rate to which Australian unemployment has fallen to.
$125m: the daily cost of lockdown in Victoria.
Is a free trade agreement with the UK a good thing?
Ref: AFR 15 June 2021
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