Vietnamese workers: is Australia's migration number really the thing to watch?

Tips · 2026-08-20 · 3 min read

You may see big numbers in the news about Australian migration. One idea is 245,000 for net overseas migration. Another is to cut the permanent intake to 130,000. A third idea is to link migration to how fast new homes are built. These numbers can feel scary. They do not tell the whole story.

What employers are really saying

Business owners who rely on migrant workers say the main question is not "how many". It is "who", and "in which industries". A country can have a high number and still be short of the right workers. It can also have a low number and still be short.

Jobs where the need is easy to see

Take aged care. About one in six aged care workers in Australia is a migrant. Australia is also on track to add close to 1.5 million people over 65 to its aged care system within a decade. Care work is hard. It is physical, it is emotional, and it often runs in shifts. Local recruitment alone is unlikely to fill every place.

Take construction too. Some trades, such as plastering and rendering, grew over many years because migrant communities filled the gaps. A large home builder says the real limit on new housing is not migrant labour. It is the lack of skilled tradespeople who are willing to do the work.

Why so few local tradespeople?

For a generation, Australian school leavers were told that a university degree was the only safe path. The trades pipeline became thin. Migration has helped to fill that space. If visas are cut without fixing the pipeline, the gap simply stays open.

Skills may count more than the cap

Some business leaders do not ask for open borders. They ask for better selection. Their idea is simple. Decide which skills Australia will need, such as doctors, engineers, electricians and scientists. Then make the path easier for those people. Another view is that migration helps national growth when population growth is slowing in many developed countries. The key is to bring in people who are ready, and willing, to work.

Leaders from different political sides are now moving toward the same idea. They want migration to work like a targeted recruitment tool. For workers in aged care, healthcare, construction trades and engineering, this is encouraging. Demand in these fields does not depend on one headline number.

What you can prepare in Vietnam

You cannot control the debate. You can control your papers. Here are good first steps:

Keep your vocational certificates and degrees safe. They are usually assessed again in Australia, through a skills assessment.
Ask a qualified translator for certified English translations of your Vietnamese documents when the visa rules ask for them.
Check whether the visa or the employer needs an English test, such as IELTS or PTE.
If a police certificate is requested, apply for the Judicial Record Certificate No. 2 (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp số 2).

Please stay safe. Deal only with licensed organisations and real employers. Never pay an unlicensed broker. Be careful with anyone who asks for money upfront to "secure" a job or a visa.

You can read about visa types on the Home Affairs visa listing. A clear trade or qualification is a strong place to start.

#skilled migration #australia #aged care #trades #vietnamese workers