Australia requires genuinely skilled migrants, not Uber drivers

Thursday 4 September 2025

This week, the Albanese government announced that the permanent migrant intake would remain at 185,000 places in 2025-26, with 132,200 places set aside for ‘skilled migrants’.

When the 20,000 humanitarian intake and 3,000 Pacific Engagement Visas are added, Australia’s permanent migrant intake has effectively been set at 208,000.

It is important to point out that, although nearly two-thirds of the permanent intake is ‘skilled’, most is actually unskilled.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.