Boosting WA's building and construction industry through skilled migration

The State Government will deliver a $47.6 million boost to Western Australia’s building and construction workforce in the 2023—24 State Budget.

This includes a range of new initiatives to ramp up local training and attraction of skilled workers from overseas.

The additional funding is targeted to further grow the State’s residential construction workforce and accelerate delivery of the current pipeline of homes, as well as expand industry capacity to deliver new housing supply to keep pace with population growth in WA.

The new initiatives include the following.

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Construction Visa Subsidy Program

The new Construction Visa Subsidy Program (CVSP) will offer $11 million for targeted visa subsidies to attract skilled workers to WA's in-demand construction industry, to accelerate construction of homes and build capacity to keep up with population growth.

CVSP will provide around 1,100 visa subsidies of up to $10,000 each to attract skilled migrants to the residential and commercial construction sector in 2023—24, to offset the costs of supporting overseas workers to start their employment in WA’s building and construction industry.

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Skilled Migration Job Connect

• A $4.25 million Skilled Migration Job Connect (Job Connect) Program has been established to remove barriers and connect migrants to employment in WA.

• The new program includes financial support of up to $7,500 for skilled migrants to undertake skills assessments, gap training and meet occupational licensing requirements; assisting newly arrived skilled migrants to gain employment in occupations commensurate with their formal overseas qualifications, skills, and experience.

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Skilled Migrant Employment Register

The Skilled Migrant Employment Register (SMER) is helping to connect skilled migrants with WA jobs, and will be further improved to make it easier for employers looking for workers to seamlessly connect with skilled migrants.

With more than 4,600 migrants and more than 140 employers already registered; the SMER will be promoted through a digital advertising campaign, roadshow, and relevant government events. 

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Other new measures in the 2023—24 State Budget includes:

• $2.4 million to promote skilled migration to WA and visa advisory services;

• an expansion of the existing Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy Program

• $26.9 million to increase the Base Employer Grant for all third and fourth-year apprentices by 20%

• $4.6 million for a one-off $2,000 completion payment to encourage more apprentices to finish their training in the building industry and for school students to learn about the diverse career options in construction; and

• a $2.7 million boost in resources to expedite approvals of occupational licensing.

These latest measures build on an extensive range of initiatives previously rolled out to support a locally skilled WA workforce.

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Overview of Western Australia Stream