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Antonio Mitchell thought moving to Australia was going to be “really good” for his career.
From Chile, Mitchell is trained as a physiotherapist and says he had treated more than 50,000 patients in a specialist hospital before migrating to Australia in 2018.
But he’s still in the process of having his qualifications recognised here.
“I thought that when I arrived, I was going to be able to show what I know, what I was doing in the previous years,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I was quite shocked when I realised that none of that experience can help me in any way to get my qualifications done.”
This means Mitchell has been unable to resume work as a physiotherapist — despite this being a profession on the government’s , which outlines occupations in shortage and anticipated future demand.
Physiotherapists are listed as being in shortage across the country.
Instead, Mitchell has been working on construction sites, as a waiter and a delivery driver, before finding work as a research assistant.
He said the skills “gap” was felt most when he was working part-time jobs in rural communities.
“Some of them were waiting for months to get a private physio appointment. And at the same time, I was sweeping floors,” he said. “This gap was quite shocking.”
Mitchell recognises he’s had “good options” outside his working field. But it’s been years since he has practised.
“Even if I finish the process, I would probably have to start as a junior physiotherapist, or someone who has finished a Bachelor’s degree.
“At least for me, it has been a huge delay in my career — mainly because I didn’t have the chance to show what I knew.”
Mitchell is not alone in his experience, according to a new alliance of business groups, unions, social services and community organisations, called Activate Australia’s Skills.
In a , it said 44 per cent of permanent migrants (around 620,000 people) in Australia are working well below their skill level. Within this group, 60 per cent arrived through the skilled migration program.
This is despite a “national skills crisis” where one in three occupations across all industries are in shortage, the alliance cited, as it called for reforms to the skills recognition system.
Launching in Canberra on Tuesday, it also wrote an open letter to parliament urging action to get those with overseas qualifications already in Australia into areas of desperate need.
A national skills shortage and an ‘endless maze of red tape’
The latest SPl released by Jobs and Skills Australia last October showed 36 per cent of assessed occupations were in shortage. This was five per cent higher compared to 2022, and 17 per cent higher than 2021, Activate Australia’s Skills said.
Most new shortages were in high-skilled professions like healthcare, engineering and trade.
Settle Services International (SSI), a not-for-profit organisation supporting newly-arrived migrants and refugees, convened the non-partisan campaign.
Its chief executive, Violet Roumeliotis, said skilled migrants could help address these shortages — if their qualifications were recognised.
“Almost half of all permanent migrants in this country are working beneath their skill levels. There are people living in the communities and neighbourhoods with us, but they’re battling a very cumbersome and very expensive recognition system,” she said.
Roumeliotis said people are being blocked from using qualifications by an “endless maze of red tape” and “hurdles unrelated to their actual skills and experience”.
The open letter references expensive fees, outdated paperwork requirements and slow, complex processes.
“Meanwhile we have communities suffering from skills shortages that mean people can’t access essential services, prices are going up and businesses are put at risk — especially in the outer suburbs and regions,” Roumeliotis said.
What is the alliance calling for?
The campaign is backed by over 50 organisations, including employers such as Allianz, business groups like Master Builders Australia, and community organisations and unions, including the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) and the Refugee Council of Australia.
The campaign has four key demands: creating a national government system for all overseas skills and qualifications recognition, including setting up an ombudsman with regulatory powers, a “seamless” process with reduced red tape, financial support for those getting recognised and a “migrant employment pathway hub” to get qualified people working in their professions again.
“The government needs to take responsibility and break down the barriers to ensure everyone can contribute,” the open letter states.
In a statement, Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles said the government had provided $1.8 million over two years to streamline skills assessments.
“This will apply to 1,900 construction skilled migrants from countries with comparable qualifications who want to work in Australia’s housing construction industry. Another 2,600 in-flight construction occupation applications will be processed as a priority,” Giles said.
“The Albanese government wants to see more Australians filling those essential roles which is why we’ve been working with the states and territories to boost our VET sector through the National Skills Agreement and to remove financial barriers to studying through our Fee Free TAFE program.”
Meanwhile, Mitchell said Australia has the chance to “improve the system right now to be able to pick up these highly-skilled professionals that can help Australian communities in the future”.