Economic Impacts of Migration in Regional Australia
摘要
International migration is playing an important economic role in regional Australia. This chapter reviews literature on the economic contributions of skilled migrants, temporary residents and humanitarian migrants. It finds that each migrant category brings value in terms of labour, consumer spending and business activity. Recent research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that places with higher rates of migration also show higher incomes, skill and productivity levels. Labor demand in regional Australia has grown significantly since mid-2020, and this chapter provides examples showing how migrants are helping to fill these employment needs. Migrants also contribute to population sustainability in small inland places, with overseas born populations increasing in 103 regional Local Government Areas (LGAs) where Australian-born population was declining. While most newly arrived migrants first settle in the larger capital cities, analysis shows that once in Australia, migrants have a higher propensity to move to regional and remote locations than the general population, further contributing to the resilience of these places.