Australia’s number one technology recruiter, Peoplebank, has announced plans to hire up to 200 IT professionals per year having struck a deal with the federal government.

The company, which comprises a network of agencies across the country, has reached an agreement that will enable them it recruit overseas workers in the IT industry, with the Australian government processing their visas applications as part of its 457 visa quota.

The information sector has struggled to recruit as many foreign professionals as it would have liked to over the last couple of years, due to changes to the 457 program in 2007. However, the new agreement enables qualified workers from abroad to live and work in Australia on a temporary basis, as they were previously able to do.

Peoplebank’s chief operating officer Peter Acheson said:

“There has been a bit of latent demand created as a result of the fact that we haven't been able to bring people in over the past years.

“Some of the people we will put in place over the next few months will be soaking up that demand.

“I think probably somewhere between 150 and 200 a year would be the sort of number we will get to.”