With fortress Australia reopening its borders, this is a prime time for HR leaders to attract international talent in order to overcome the rising skills shortage in its labour market. 

In the latest research conducted by Robert Half, released today, over two-thirds (71%) of Australian employers are planning to hire international talent on a permanent basis and the majority (61%) are planning to hire global talent on a contract basis. This is most prominent in the tech and financial sectors, with 82% of Australian CIOs planning to hire permanent IT talent from overseas and 68% of CFOs also looking to do the same.

In the face of stiff competition at the talent market, businesses are doing their best to stay ahead of the game by preparing packages which include robust off-shoring and relocation offers, increases to starting salaries, more paid leave, upgrades to job titles, loosening of job requirements and professional development opportunities and career pathing.

'In order to compete on the global playing field, Australian companies need to match the industry standards of the markets they’re seeking to recruit from, or risk being eclipsed by local competition. There is no doubt the current war for talent is placing pressure on Australian companies to focus on recruiting from overseas, but it is also evident that companies need to strengthen internal talent pipelines and be able to attract and retain local skills to develop a truly agile tech-first workforce,' says David Jones, Senior Managing Director for Robert Half Asia Pacific.