DILI, 04 january 2023 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste through the Secretary of State for Vocational Training and Employment (SoSVTE) sent a total of 4,582 Timorese workers to work in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labor Mobility (PALM) scheme.
SoSVTE’s National Director of Foreign Employment (DNEE), João Correia Pereira, reported that there has been an increase in the number of workers sent to Australia under the PALM scheme: “The number rose to 4,582 in 2023, compared to 3,572 in 2022.”
“Of these 4,582 workers, 1,440 were women. This means that Australian companies trust our workers and we hope that number to increase in the future,” said Pereira in Dili.
According to him, as many as 2,361 workers are new employees who started work in 2023, while the other 2,221 are working under renewal contracts.
Since 2012, Timor-Leste has sent more than 13,200 workers to Australia and contributed more than US$76 million to the country.
So far, more than 800 Timorese Seasonal Workers have been registered under the protection visa.
“A total of 827 Timorese workers are currently working in Australia under protection visa. Of these workers, 173 are women,” said Pereira.
He said that SoSVTE, in collaboration with the companies, will continue to monitor their movement and performance in Australia.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Filomeno Martins
