More skilled migrants for WA

WA is set for an influx of skilled migrants with four in five WA companies surveyed by audit firm KPMG indicating they planned to hire from abroad in the next 12 months.

A study by KPMG said international recruitment was on the rise because skills shortages were growing in every State except Queensland, affecting 61 per cent of employers surveyed, compared with 51 per cent last year.

KPMG partner in migration services Jason Berry said improving job opportunities in the east would make it harder for WA employers to poach staff as the resources boom gathered pace.

He said WA's high housing costs were a deterrent for workers from interstate, though foreigners were more likely to accept the prices in return for the chance to live in Australia.

The report showed WA companies were experiencing the steepest rise in skills shortages, with the number of employers indicating a shortfall jumping 18 per cent to two-thirds of all those surveyed.

Immigration Department statistics show WA's intake of subclass 457 visa workers skyrocketed 85 per cent in July compared with the same month last year. WA employers sponsored 1230 migrant workers in July compared with 670 a year ago.

The owner of Must Winebar, Russell Blaikie, said there would be a lot of opportunity to hire foreign hospitality staff in the next few years as many sought out jobs in Australia to escape bleak economies in their homelands.

"We don't sponsor temporary visa employees due to a desperation to fill our rosters," he said.

"Rather we select them to complement the skill set of our serving team, so that their levels of overseas training and experience will have a positive effect within the teams they work in."

But UnionsWA secretary Simone McGurk said it undermined training opportunities for unemployed or underemployed locals, including older workers and youths.