Border Closures Cause Trouble for Australian Employers Looking for Staff

Travelers wait in line to verify their Covid-19 vaccination status as they check-in for a flight to Sydney, Australia at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 1, 2021. Patrick T. Fallon/ AFP via Getty Images

Closed international borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a plunge in skilled migration have resulted in a loss of $32 billion (US$22.9 billion) to the Australian economy as 380,000 fewer people had entered the labour force, a new study found.

The joint study by RMIT Online and Deloitte Access Economics also pointed out that the Australian economy could have enjoyed an additional growth of $148 billion (US$106 billion) had the pandemic not existed.