457 visa holders popular in Victoria

457 temporary employer-sponsored visa holders have filled 13,680 job vacancies in the Australian state of Victoria since July 2011. Department of Immigration statistics show that Victorian businesses have imported 870 construction workers, 890 teachers, 330 doctors, 500 cooks and 240 accountants. It is thought that Victorian employers have been attracted by the cheaper and more reliable option of hiring overseas skilled staff on 457 visas, rather than investing in on-shore training for those skills only to have these employees poached by a rival business. According to recruitment agency Morgan Consulting, Victoria’s skills shortage is most acute in the clinical healthcare, digital marketing, specialist IT and engineering sectors.