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Australia’s International Border Reopening – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Australia’s International Border Reopening – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

From the 1st of November Australia’s international border is reopening and fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 12 and over may travel again internationally without having to apply for an exemption to leave or enter the country.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, a vaccine must be approved or recognised by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This includes two doses at least 14 days apart of: AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, Covishield, Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna Spikevax or Sinovac Coronavac, or one dose of Janssen-Cilag Covid vaccine.  Children under 12 and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will also be able to travel overseas without an exemption.

Smart Traveller has removed its global “Do not travel” advisory and has updated travel advice levels for 177 destinations based on the latest risk assessments related to Covid-19 and other threats to safety and security. At this stage, no destination will be set lower than Level 2, which is “Exercise a high degree of caution”.  Accordingly prior to making arrangements and bookings it is worth considering the following:

  • What are Australia’s exit and re-entry requirements?
  • What are the requirements of your destination country?
  • What is your tolerance and budget for potential disruption caused by Covid-19?

Pre-departure:

To travel internationally without an exemption you must show your International Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC) at check-in when departing Australia.   At check-in, everyone who is five years of age or older must give proof of a negative Covid-19 (PCR) molecular test provided by a laboratory to be done no more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure of the first leg of your return flight to Australia. This is required in addition to the Covid-19 vaccine.

A negative PCR test result certificate will still be valid if your flight is delayed longer than the 72-hour window, but if the flight is rescheduled or cancelled, you will need to take a new test no more than 72 hours before the new flight.

Re-entry:

The Australian government regulates visas and exemptions, but state and territory governments regulate quarantine (and other inbound health related requirements). Therefore, even when you can leave Australia without an exemption, you must keep up to date with your state’s rules for your return.

From Monday, fully vaccinated returning Australians will not be required to quarantine in hotels or at home on arrival into NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Children under 12 will not be treated as unvaccinated.  

If you arrive from overseas directly into another state, at this stage you will still be directed into mandatory hotel quarantine. Tasmania will open its borders on 15 December and South Australia has announced a slow reduction of restrictions starting on 23 November.

Queensland has a very cautious reopening plan that will evolve as vaccination targets are reached. The Northern Territory has a home quarantine plan, for interstate arrivals, to begin around 23 November. Western Australia has not announced its reopening plan.

Outbound – Where can you go?

As travel restrictions ease, Australians are showing the most interest in travelling to Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Bali, the US and UK. Quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia will resume from Monday.

Fiji:

From 1 December, Fiji is reopening its borders to fully vaccinated tourists (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen), aged 18 and above, from Australia and a select group of countries, including the US and New Zealand. At check-in, everyone aged 12 and above must give proof of a negative RT-PCR result from a test taken within three days of departure. On arrival, all travellers must download careFIJI onto their phones and head straight to their hotel, where they will spend their first two days, with access to all hotel amenities. After a negative rapid antigen (swab) test, taken after 48 hours, they will have access to a range of tourist-appropriate areas throughout the country.

United States:

The US has changed its vaccination requirements for non-US citizens entering the country. In the past, since Australia was considered a low-risk country for Covid-19, Australians did not have to be vaccinated to travel to the US. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now states that, starting on 8 November, all non-US citizens aged 18 and above coming into the US by air must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before travel with any of the following Federal Drug Administration-approved vaccines: Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna and Janssen; or World Health Organization Emergency Use Listing vaccines (including Australian-made AstraZeneca Vaxzevria).

All inbound air travellers aged two and older, regardless of citizenship, must show a negative Covid-19 test result. The timing of this test depends on vaccination status and age, something that is particularly relevant for travelling families. At check-in, fully vaccinated adults, and their accompanying children aged between two and 17, must give proof of a negative PCR result for Covid-19 from a test taken no more than three days before departure.

Alternatively, you can provide documentation from a licensed healthcare provider showing recovery from Covid-19 in the 90 days preceding travel. No quarantine will be required, but the CDC will issue an order directing airlines to collect travellers’ contact details for a contact tracing system that is yet to be outlined. International travellers are also still recommended to get a test three to five days after arrival regardless of vaccination status, and some US states make this a requirement.

Singapore:

Vaccinated Australians will be able to travel to Singapore quarantine-free from 8 November. Starting on Monday you can apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass to enter as a short-term visitor under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL). You must show proof you are fully vaccinated at least two weeks before travel (children under 12 travelling with family are exempt). You will also be required to take a PCR test on arrival at Singapore airport and remain in isolation until a negative result is received. You must have travel insurance that covers Covid-19 medical treatment and hospital costs. For the moment, only Singapore Airlines is operating VTL flights.

UK:

The UK recently scrapped its traffic light country system and will remove its red list of countries on Monday so that all fully vaccinated international travellers will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel. The UK recognises Australian Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. Fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to show a negative test result before departing for the UK, although currently all airlines operating in and out of Australia are requiring passengers to take PCR tests before leaving. You must fill in a contact locator form before arriving in the UK and prebook a Covid-19 test to be taken before the end of day two after your arrival. Specific rules vary between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Thailand:

Thailand is a bit of a grey area because, while the country is opening to Australia and 45 other “low risk” nations on Monday, the current advice on the Smart Traveller site is at Level 3 (“Reconsider your need to travel”). There are currently limited direct flights to Thailand but Thai Airways has announced an increase in flights starting on 17 November as well as nonstop Sydney to Phuket flights three times a week and daily Sydney to Bangkok flights starting on 8 December. Things are changing fast, so it is worth checking for updates regularly.

Fully vaccinated travellers (Australia’s Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty, Moderna and AstraZeneca Vaxzevria all approved) arriving by air will need to show proof of vaccination no less than 14 days before departure (children under 12 are exempt), a medical certificate with a negative result of a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departure, and proof of a fully paid booking for their first night’s stay at government-approved hotels to wait for a negative result from a PCR test taken upon arrival. With negative results, travellers can go anywhere in Thailand. All travellers must register their details at the Thailand Travel Pass website at least seven days before departure and purchase a minimum per person US$50,000 travel insurance to cover medical expenses, including Covid-19 treatment.

Bali:

Bali has recently opened to fully vaccinated travellers from 19 countries, who must quarantine in hotels for five days and follow strict visa requirements under new entry rules. Australia is not one of them, although there are indications that it will soon be added. But there are currently no direct flights from anywhere in Australia.

Potential disruptions:

It is important to remember that most airlines are adding their own requirements in addition to those of destination countries. All are requiring mask-wearing in airports and for the duration of flights, except when you are eating. For flights to and from the US this applies to children as young as two. All airlines operating into and out of Australia are also requiring PCR tests and in some instances you may be asked to take a rapid antigen test requiring a negative result before you board. You also need to factor in the extra time and hassle with all the Covid-related checks while travelling.

Insurance:

Finding travel insurance that will cover Covid-related medical expenses overseas and cancellations due to Covid illness, not to mention lockdowns or government restrictions, is a monumental task. Suffice to say, there will likely be tears and unexpected costs involved.

Covid-related risks:

You also need to factor in the risk of getting Covid-19 while travelling overseas and the costs involved of extending your stay in a hotel or managed facility, or, in the worst case, an ICU in a foreign hospital, until you can get a negative test and return to Australia.

And it is always possible that another international outbreak will occur while you are overseas and Australia will close its borders again. You will need enough resilience and a significant budget set aside to allow for an extended overseas sojourn.

For peace of mind, in these constantly changing circumstances, it may be worth using the services of a travel agent. They are not only across all the latest travel logistics and government requirements but are also equipped to help with refunds should you have to cancel or change your travel plans.

At this point in time there are approximately 35,000 Australian Citizens and Premanent Residents stranded overseas, awaiting repatriation into Australia and this is going to take some time.  This, along with the variance in Australia’s State Border restrictions will have a significant impact on skilled migration for oversees workers, however once the backlog is cleared and a more consistent State Border policy is implemented then free access will eventuate.

If you are desirous of starting a new life adventure in Australia then Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

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How To Apply For A Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence in the UK

How To Apply For A Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence in the UK

United Kingdom

With the introduction of the new Skilled Worker visa, as an employer you now need to secure a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence. By doing this, you are able to issue Certificates of Sponsorship to potential applicants, allowing them to obtain their visa.

In addition to Skilled Worker Sponsor Licences, you are also able to apply for the following Sponsor Licences:

Some of the above licences can be applied for collectively, such as Intra Company Transfer and Skilled Worker Licences. Others, such as the Religious or Sporting categories, have their own separate application process.

In order to apply for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence, you must satisfy certain eligibility and suitability criteria.

Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Eligibility Criteria

As a sponsor, you must submit evidence demonstrating that you are a genuine employer, with a lawful trading presence in the UK. In order to meet the eligibility criteria, you must provide at least four pieces of evidence as listed in Appendix A, in support of your application.

Appendix A, is split into four tables. Table 1 confirms that a public authority or a company listed on the London Stock Exchange does not have to submit documents other than those specific to the licence they are applying for. Table 2 covers starts-ups (organisations that have been trading for less than 18 months), as well as franchises and charities. Table 3 lists the specific evidence that needs to be sent for a particular tier.

Table 4 then lists all the other possible documents you could provide, one of which must be the latest set of audited accounts if the organisation is legally obliged to submit them.

Specified Evidence Required

In addition to information about the organisation, the proposed job role, and the candidate in mind, you must also tell the Home Office why you are applying for a Skilled Worker Licence.

The Home Office also requires you to nominate certain individuals to take on roles in respect of the Sponsor Licence. Anyone nominated must be primarily in the UK, and the main roles are:

  • Authorising Officer – Usually someone senior within the company or organisation, who is involved with recruitment and/or HR. This person will be ultimately responsible for the licence, and ensuring that Sponsor Licence duties are met;
  • Key Contact – The primary point of contact for the Home Office. A legal representative can undertake this role for you; and
  • Level 1 User – This person will be responsible for all day-to-day management of the Sponsor Licence through an online portal, known as the Sponsorship Management System (SMS). This person must be an employee at the time of application, however once the Sponsor Licence has been assigned, others, including legal representatives can be set up at Level 1 Users, or Level 2 Users who are able to undertake certain limited tasks on the SMS.

When deciding who to nominate for the above roles, it is important to consider whether any one of them have any adverse history – whether that be past criminal convictions, or any adverse involvement with the Home Office. Applications for Sponsor Licences have been refused in the past as a result of one or more persons character or history.

Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Suitability Criteria

Unlike the eligibility criteria, the suitability criteria requires a much broader assessment. The Home Office will be wanting to see that your organisation is honest, dependable, and reliable, and capable of fulfilling the responsibilities that it expects from Sponsors.

The department will check the following:

  • That the sponsor has the human resource and recruitment systems in place to meet, or continue to meet their sponsor duties — the Home Office will judge this by either visiting the sponsor before or after the licence is granted;
  • That the Home Office are able to visit and conduct checks to ensure that the sponsor duties are being complied with on an immediate,
  • unannounced basis; this includes checks at any physical addresses where the sponsored employees would carry out their employment duties;
  • That the sponsor can offer a genuine vacancy which meets the criteria of the category the sponsor is applying to be licensed for;
  • If any of the key personnel within the business have an unspent criminal conviction for a relevant offence; and
  • Any evidence of previous non-compliance by the sponsor.

You must also be able to demonstrate that you can offer genuine employment that meets the skill and salary requirements under the skilled-worker route.

The Home Office will want to be satisfied that your organisation has the HR or recruitment procedure in place to meet the sponsorship duties. Sponsorship duties include reporting certain information about sponsored workers and using the sponsorship management system. If something needs to be reported, this must be done within 10 days of the event. Events that require reporting are those such as changes to start dates, or change of work location for a skilled worker.

Your sponsorship duties also include keeping records of things such as contracts of employment, salaries, and evidence of genuineness of any vacancies advertised. Appendix D: keeping records for sponsorship sets out further details.

You should be aware that the Home Office can visit you as part of the Sponsor Licence application process, to check that your systems are sufficient. This will usually occur if the organisation is newly formed, or, if the application is high risk. Not only can the Home Office inspect your organisation during the application process, they can also visit at any time whilst you are a Sponsor Licence holder. During the visit(s), the Home Office will check your HR systems, and speak to the appointed Authorising Officer. They may also ask to interview sponsored employees.

If the Home Office finds that you are not meeting your duties and obligations, they can revoke or suspend your licence, resulting in curtailment of any sponsored workers visas.

How to Submit an Application for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

Your application will be made using an online application form, where you can choose the categories that you would like the Sponsor Licence to cover. You will also have to give information about the key personnel you are appointing, as well as what documents and evidence you are providing to meet the eligibility criteria set out above.

A legal representative can help you complete the form, but the guidance clearly states that it must be submitted by the Sponsor themselves.

The fee for submitting varies depending on the size of your organisation. A small company or charity will be charged £536.00, and a medium or large sized company will be charged £1,476.00.

Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Processing Times

You might be waiting for a decision on your application for up to 8 weeks. There is a priority service which costs £500.00, and will return a decision within 10 working days.

If your application is granted, you will be issued with a Sponsor Licence valid for 4 years from the date of decision. If, however, your application is refused, there is no right of appeal and there is a six-month cooling off period.

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Australia and Melbourne: Top tier locations for talented global workers

Australia and Melbourne: Top tier locations for talented global workers

An annual index, ranking countries and cities on their ability to grow talent, has placed both Melbourne and Australia in the top tier.

When it comes to attracting global talent, Australia makes the top 10 and Melbourne is Australia’s second most competitive city, according to the latest 2020 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GCTI).

The index ranks locations on their ability to grow, attract and retain international talent. This year Australia ranks 10th, rising from 12th in 2019. Switzerland holds first place. Melbourne is the fifth most competitive city for global talent in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 2020 GCTI focuses on global talent in the age of artificial intelligence. Cities that dominate the top rankings demonstrate a future readiness to undertake activities in fields such as AI and advanced technologies. The report notes that AI talent is scarce, and cities are striving to become AI hubs and attract relevant talent.

The index also more broadly identifies talent competitiveness in other areas including innovation and leadership, such as availability of academic researchers, scientists and engineers.

The Victorian Government provides visa nomination to select migrants with skills and qualifications in areas of demand, including ICT occupations as well as health, engineering and construction and other key sectors.

Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Melbourne, Australia

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The Migration Advisory Committee’s latest report on Brexit

The Migration Advisory Committee's latest report on Brexit

The Migration Advisory Committee (“MAC”) recently published their much awaited report on the Australian-style Points-based system as a model for the UK’s future immigration system. To many immigration lawyers, the report came as a surprise as it suggests no significant changes to the existing Points-based system that has been in place since 2008.

 

This 2020 MAC report builds on their 2018 report dealing with EU migration. In the 2018 report the MAC made radical recommendations to relax the overall requirements for a work visa under the Tier 2 (General) route, for example: abolishing the annual cap on work visas, eliminating the resident labour market test and reducing the job skills threshold. The 2020 MAC report makes it even easier for employers to sponsor highly-skilled and medium-skilled migrants by proposing to reduce the minimum salary threshold from £30,000 per year to £25,600 per year.

 

Having said the above, there are many important issues still to be addressed before the end of this year:

 

1) Employers contemplating hiring EU nationals from outside the UK from 1 January 2021 (after the end of the Brexit transition period) will require a sponsor licence, unless the Home Office introduces a new system which is streamlined and user friendly. This is likely to create a surge in demand for licences, which will create more delays due to capacity issues within the Home Office.

2) Employers seeking to recruit new workers from the EU from 1 January 2021 will face significant cost pressures as a typical Tier 2 (General) work visa valid for three years for a large company will cost approximately £5,000 in Government fees alone.

 

3) There is very little discussion surrounding low-skilled workers. The December 2018 White Paper published under Theresa May’s government describes a separate visa category to allow low-skilled workers from low risk countries with strict conditions (e.g. 12 months maximum duration with a cooling-off period of 12 months). The 2020 MAC report unfortunately does not shed any more light on what this route will look like and whether there will be any special requirements to qualify.

 

4) The proposed £25,600 minimum salary threshold is still too high for some sectors, such as the retail and consumer industry. Many franchise restaurants, for example, may not be able to pay this level of salary for their chefs. Whilst the 2020 MAC report does not suggest a variation in the minimum salary threshold across different sectors in the UK economy, the Government may need to consider this in order to address the acute shortage of workers in some sectors.

 

5) Businesses only have 11 months to prepare for the new Immigration Rules to take effect. As with the previous introduction of new rules, we foresee confusion and inconsistencies in the decision-making process by the Home Office. This is likely to cause more delays and frustration on the part of businesses and workers.

 

Whilst the new 2020 MAC report provides important information, there remains a substantial number of issues to be resolved in order to create a better immigration system that benefits employers and protects our resources (e.g. medical care, roads and social services) from being overwhelmed.

 

Given that this 2020 MAC report may not go far enough in the eyes of the Government, it is certainly possible for Mr Johnson to go beyond their recommendation. However, the administrative machinery of the Home Office may not be able to incorporate such drastic changes by the end of this year. We await the discussion of the 2020 MAC report amongst Cabinet ministers next month and it is expected that a new White Paper on the future of business immigration policy will be published shortly thereafter.

 

Employers are advised to remain vigilant for further updates.

Will the UK have a points-based system for entry?

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‘We need all hands on deck’: Backpackers called in to bushfire recovery effort

The new visa system details are now becoming clear

Backpackers are being brought in as reinforcements for the bushfire recovery effort under a new plan by the federal government.  The visa system will be overhauled so backpackers are incentivised to help farmers and communities rebuild after the crisis.

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge has announced three major changes following a recommendation from the National Bushfire Recovery Agency as follows:

  • Backpackers can work for an employer for 12 months instead of six months
  • Construction work is now included as part of the designated activities backpackers are allowed to participate in
  • Up to three months of voluntary work will now count towards backpackers’ eligibility for a second-year visa

Mr Tudge said the response to the announcement has been significant and overwhelmingly positive.

“They’re very practical measures just to get more people on the ground.  “Going right now because we need all hands on deck.”

As this initiative unfolds we will keep you informed however we suggest you get in early to take advantage of this opportunity so Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Raging Australian wildfires force residents to water's edge

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Backpackers Invited To Help Australia Rebuild In Wake Of Bushfires

Come Help Us Rebuild Our Country

Backpackers are being invited to help Australian farmers and communities rebuild after devastating bushfires, with visa changes designed to encourage them to join the effort.  Under the changes, backpackers will be able to count volunteering as work when applying to extend their working holiday visas, and those in bushfire zones can stay with the same employer for a year instead of six months.

Construction work in disaster zones will also count as work under the new rules designed to support farmers and regional businesses.  The changes were announced by Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge in regional Victoria yesterday.  Mr Tudge said the working holidaymakers would be able to help farmers and businesses with demolition and land clearing on properties, as well as repairing dams, roads and railways.  

“These hardworking Australians have been hit by the recent bushfires, but from today they can employ backpackers for six months longer, helping them at a critical time in the recovery effort,” he told the newspaper.  “This recovery will be driven locally, by local workers and communities.  “But this will be a massive recovery effort and we want businesses and charitable organisations to have as many boots on the ground as they need.”

The visa rule changes follow recommendations from the National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Aerial footage captures devastating aftermath of Mallacoota bushfires

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Australian-style UK Visa Points-Based System By End Of 2020

Full details of the new system have yet to be announced

During his time as London Mayor, and upon becoming Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has called for an immigration system similar to Australia’s, in the UK. Now UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is pushing for Britain’s Australian-style, points-based UK visa and immigration system to be in place by the end of 2020, two years earlier than originally planned. Now it seems Johnson’s Home Secretary is keen to implement an Australian-style system to coincide with the UK’s transition period with the European Union (EU).

 

The push for a points-based UK visa and immigration system has been a matter of confusion because the UK’s highly skilled, Tier 2 visa category already operates under a points-based system, with applicants currently needing a minimum of 40 points to be eligible for a UK visa.

 

At this stage, it’s unclear what an Australian-style, points-based immigration system in the UK will look like, leaving many businesses worried about how they will hire foreign staff, when Britain leaves the EU. The government has been very vague about the plans, but has made it clear that low-skilled immigration will be heavily restricted.

 

The news of Priti Patel’s push for an Australian-style immigration system in the UK by the end of 2020 comes amid comments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the UK-Africa investment summit on 20 January.  Johnson said: “The UK should be the investment partner of choice for Africa and my government will put people before passports. Change is coming and our system is becoming fairer and more equal between all our global friends and partners, treating people the same, wherever they come from.”  “By putting people before passports, we will be able to attract the best talent from around the world, wherever they may be,” Johnson added.

 

Patel’s push for the new immigration system to be introduced by the end of 2020 has been met with heavy criticism.  Under existing UK visa and immigration plans, outlined by former Prime Minister Theresa May, there is a temporary extension of EU rules in place following Brexit, which comes to an end on 31 December, 2020.  A Confederation of British Industry (CBI) statement said: “Priti Patel’s plans could seriously impact British businesses. Companies will need at least two years to adapt to any new immigration system.”

 

The UK’s shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, said: “This is an ill-informed and reactionary policy that will damage us all, damaging to everything from the NHS to other public services and some of our key private sector industries.”  “Ministers talk about ending uncontrolled migration when they have been in office for 10 years. In reality this is just a new twist in the long Tory campaign against migrants, scapegoating them for the terrible effects of Tory policies,” Abbott added.

 

Meanwhile Christine Jardine, Home Affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, described Patel’s plans as a ‘national embarrassment’, saying that such a decision makes it very obvious that the Conservative government has no intention of ending its hostile environment policy.  Jardine said: “For business and our economy, such draconian changes to immigration rules is utterly unworkable. To think the Home Office could implement the changes in the time given is a joke.”

 

Explaining how the points-based immigration system in Australia works, Dr Alan Gamlen of Monash University in Melbourne said: “It’s a general skilled migration programme, where immigrants applying for a visa are typically selected based on ‘economically relevant characteristics’ like education, language skills and work experience.”  Dr Gamlen outlined that the exact way points are allocated is dependent on immigration policy and the state of the labour market, but generally an applicant will select a skilled occupation from a set list and must score a minimum number of points.

 

In the run up to the UK general election, Boris Johnson said that an Australian-style, points-based system in the UK would limit the number of lower-skilled immigrants allowed into the country. Johnson said that lower-skilled immigrants would only be eligible for UK entry if there was a specific skills shortage.

UK: Britain to introduce points-based immigration system - Home Secretary

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Australia’s Tradie Rich List

Australia’s Highest Paid Trades

The 2018 Financial Year was a sumptuously fruitful one for many Aussie tradies. Thanks to a recent survey conducted by ServiceSeeking.com.au, trades workers from across the country have been compiled into an eye-popping ‘rich list’, in which we see a definite climb in hourly rates received. Australia’s top earning tradie, according to the findings, was a Melbourne-based builder, who took away a staggering $372 000, which saw him fit quite comfortably amongst the nation’s highest earners.

Rising Rates

Charge out rates are definitely on the way up across the country, which is music to the ears of hard-working tradies. Some of the largest average charge out rate increases were Gardeners at 8.5% ($44.40 to $48.18), Painters at 9.25% ($42.06 to $45.95), and Handymen at 11.97% ($50.67 to $56.73), whilst the highest charge was with removalists at $93.24 (a 3.04% increase from 2017’s $90.49). Some big numbers.

The Top Ten

There was some variation across the country, but with Removalists’ average charge out rate being so high, they have taken a stronghold on the Top Ten lists, holding 50% of the coveted positions:

  1. NSW Removalists at $95.21 per hour
  2. SA Removalists at $94.83 per hour
  3. WA Plumber at $92.22 per hour
  4. NSW Plumber at $90.83 per hour
  5. WA Removalist at $90.35 per hour
  6. QLD Builder at $88.63 per hour
  7. QLD Removalist at $87.77 per hour
  8. WA Electrician at $85.23 per hour
  9. VIC Removalist at $84.50 per hour
  10. VIC Plumber at $82.95 per hour

Tradies of the Future

As with most things in life, these general increases in hourly rates across the trades industries are likely to be due to a myriad of factors (licensing, insurance premiums, etc.). It is likely safe to say one of the largest factors is the current labour shortage gripping the states across Australia.

This shortage is increasing on a daily basis with the continuing natural disaster events across the country including bush fires, floods and cyclones. Australia is facing the real challenge of having to rebuild entire towns, communities and houses which are in the thousands.  Never before has there been a better opportunity for tradies in Australia.

Next years “tradie rich list” is likely to see even higher increases as competition for trade skills increases beyond the current levels.  If you are a tradie and interested in a new life adventure in Australia then Contact us for a confidential discussion and refer family, friends and colleagues and be rewarded.

Today Channel 9 Interview ServiceSeeking Tradie Rich List

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