Overseas accountants struggling to get jobs

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Overseas accountants struggling to get jobs
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AM - Wednesday, 14 January , 2009  08:18:00
Reporter: Samantha Donovan
BRENDAN TREMBATH: A new report highlights a hole in the process for recruiting accountants under Australia's skilled migration program.

Monash University researchers have found that while thousands of former overseas students are being granted permanent residency to fill vacancies, as few as 20 per cent have the necessary English skills to get a job.

Samantha Donovan reports.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: There's a shortage of accountants in Australia and Monash University researchers say that's leading to more permanent residency visas being granted to applicants from that profession than any other under the skilled migration program. And two-thirds of the applicants got their qualifications in Australia.

But demographer Bob Birrell estimates that only 20 per cent of those new permanent residents found work as accountants.

BOB BIRRELL: The migrants who are being brought in ostensibly to fill those shortages don't have the qualities necessary to do so.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Dr Birrell says inadequate English skills are stopping many graduate accountants from getting jobs. He used the English language test results of former overseas students granted permanent residency in 2006 to 2007 to reach his conclusions.

BOB BIRRELL: In the case of the 8,000 or so that we have data on, 38 per cent only got level five; that is they had rudimentary English and yet they'd passed their courses and had been accredited by the accounting accrediting bodies and gained their permanent residence visa.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Bob Birrell believes a number of authorities are to blame for the problem.

BOB BIRRELL: The universities and the Department of Education, the state education bodies I think have had their eye far more on the burgeoning international education industry and so there's been a reluctance to take a stand on this issue.

And I think the accounting accrediting bodies have been derelict in not taking up this issue. They have been delegated by the Department of Immigration to attest that those seeking immigration actually have the professional skills required for the discipline.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: But Dr Birrell believes that the Department of Immigration is taking the initiative in trying to ensure that more graduate accountants given permanent residency have the English skills to get a job.

BOB BIRRELL: On the 17th of December last year the Department of Immigration announced a new critical skills list which is to narrow down the number of occupations that are eligible for skilled migration this year.

It included accountants on the list; but it stated that they won't be considered unless they have level seven on IELTS (International English Language Testing System) so perhaps in the near future as the job markets tighten we'll see serious reform to this situation.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Institute of Chartered Accountants declined AM's request to comment at this stage but said it would consider Dr Birrell's research. CPA Australia was unavailable for comment.

BRENDAN TREMBATH: Samantha Donovan.

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