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THE increase in IT migrants being allowed into Australia should help the local industry and all of the new migrants would be able to find work, an expert has claimed.
John Ridge, president of the Australian Computer Society said he expected the local IT jobs market to pick up.
A study by Monash University's Bob Birrell says an increase in skilled immigration places announced by the Federal Government earlier this year would lead to migrants filling local demand for skilled workers, particularly in IT.
Up to 8000 additional places for migrants have been allocated by the Federal Government for 2001/2002, which would give preference to applicants who had obtained qualifications in Australia in areas considered to be in demand.
The Immigration Department has indicated it was likely that most of those places would be filled.
Of the four occupations nominated - accountants, computing professionals, electronic engineers and registered nurses - figures from previous years suggested those with IT skills would make up the largest group.
Evidence from the past few years suggested overseas students would apply for residency upon gaining the qualifications.
"It looks like a significant proportion of those who are completing IT courses have already, or are about to, apply for Australian residency," Dr Birrell said.
Australian Computer Society president John Ridge welcomed the increase in skilled migrants, and said it would not hurt prospects for local workers, despite an apparent downturn in hiring.
"The IT jobs market would pick up again, and the increased intake of migrants skilled in IT would help the Australian industry and locally-born Australian in the long term," he said.
"Full-fee-paying students are subsidising local places to an extent. If you took away fee-paying students now, most universities couldn't survive. Obviously it would be good for the Government to fund more local places, but there is a finite pie, and the pie can only be split so many ways."