Monday 17 January 2022
International students returning to South Australia will play a key role in filling the gaps left in businesses by staff in isolation due to COVID-19.
The South Australian Business Chamber Director of Policy and Advocacy Kendall Crowe welcomes the decision by the Federal Government to remove the 40-hour-a-fortnight cap on student visa-holder workers meaning they will no longer have restrictions on the number of hours they can work.
“South Australia has had an increasing skills shortage across this pandemic. With borders closed, we haven’t been able to get the right mix of workers.
“Since the emergence of the more highly transmissible Omicron variant, business owners are having difficulty keeping their doors open with many of their staff sent into isolation.
“With international students returning to South Australia, it is an inspired move by the Federal Government to look across all their portfolio areas and implement policy changes that help the business community.
“This change to the visa conditions for international students will immediately help businesses keep their doors open, and also increase Australia’s attractiveness as a destination for international students.”
The South Australian Business Chamber member and SACARE Chief Executive Chloe Kempe says that this change to visa conditions will help to ease her staffing pressures.
“As a provider of disability support, complex care accommodation and allied health services, SACARE has always put the health and wellbeing of our staff and clients first.
“We’ve respected the testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine requirements that protect the community. Due to the nature of our work the team are unable to work from home as we need to be in the workplace to support our clients.
“When the care workers in our team are required to isolate, unfortunately, it means they cannot undertake their daily role, which is providing direct and critical care to our clients.
“It is a welcomed decision that we can now have international students step in and ensure we can continue to provide a quality service for our clients.”
