Good news for IT professionals! Vacancies for IT jobs in Australia have increased by 2.9 percent over the four weeks to mid-August, says the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Vacancy Index. Remarkably, this result is 22% higher than in August 2005.

IT professionals as well as skilled workers have been taking advantage of this welcome gap or rather, skill shortage in Australian workforce. Australia's booming economy has been opening its shores to skilled workers and professional from all over the world. As a matter of fact, Indians are now the third largest group of immigrants in the country (behind New Zealanders and the British).

Other Asian countries flock as well not only because of the job opportunities, but because the country's Permanent Residency program assures qualified workers of a chance to live in the country. In light of this, websites offering fast visa applications have sprung up like mushroom in the Internet. These websites may be seen as facilitating Australia's migration program. As such, the above figures are expected to rise by the end of the year.