Australia Invites Students, Travelers to Help with Shortage of Workers
2022-01-21
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Australia's government has invited backpackers and students to seek work in the country.
2"Backpackers" are mostly younger people who travel in a simple way and do not spend very much money.
3The move is an effort to fill critical workforce shortages as Australia faces an outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
4Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said his government would not require backpackers or students arriving in the next several weeks to pay the usual $453 visa cost.
5He also urged such visitors to seek work as they travel around the country.
6"Come on down now because you wanted to come to Australia," Morrison said during a televised press conference.
7He added that the backpackers and students could seek work in agriculture, hospitality and "so many other parts of the economy" that lack enough workers.
8The announcement comes as Morrison faces criticism at the beginning of an election year.
9Critics say he has not done well in dealing with the Omicron outbreak.
10Australia is experiencing record numbers of new infections and deaths.
11Officials in Australia reported 67 new deaths and nearly 80,000 new cases on Wednesday.
12Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said Australians should expect the pandemic's total death numbers to rise.
13Australian businesses are struggling with the growing number of workers who are sick or ordered to isolate.
14The labor shortage has led to supply shortages.
15 Major food stores have put in place purchase limits on some goods.
16Rising hospitalizations have put pressure on the health system.
17Nearly 1.3 million cases of the country's total of 1.6 million cases have been reported in the past two weeks.
18Morrison is also facing criticism over the shortage of at-home rapid tests.
19On Wednesday, he urged state leaders to drop any requirements for workers in most industries to take daily rapid tests.
20The federal government also promised to buy 52 million tests this month from Asia and the United States.
21As the country faces a shortage of tests, police on Wednesday said 42,000 tests worth about $500,000 were stolen from a freight station in Sydney.
22I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Australia's government has invited backpackers and students to seek work in the country. "Backpackers" are mostly younger people who travel in a simple way and do not spend very much money. 2The move is an effort to fill critical workforce shortages as Australia faces an outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. 3Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said his government would not require backpackers or students arriving in the next several weeks to pay the usual $453 visa cost. He also urged such visitors to seek work as they travel around the country. 4"Come on down now because you wanted to come to Australia," Morrison said during a televised press conference. 5He added that the backpackers and students could seek work in agriculture, hospitality and "so many other parts of the economy" that lack enough workers. 6The announcement comes as Morrison faces criticism at the beginning of an election year. Critics say he has not done well in dealing with the Omicron outbreak. 7Australia is experiencing record numbers of new infections and deaths. Officials in Australia reported 67 new deaths and nearly 80,000 new cases on Wednesday. Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said Australians should expect the pandemic's total death numbers to rise. 8Australian businesses are struggling with the growing number of workers who are sick or ordered to isolate. The labor shortage has led to supply shortages. Major food stores have put in place purchase limits on some goods. 9Rising hospitalizations have put pressure on the health system. Nearly 1.3 million cases of the country's total of 1.6 million cases have been reported in the past two weeks. 10Morrison is also facing criticism over the shortage of at-home rapid tests. On Wednesday, he urged state leaders to drop any requirements for workers in most industries to take daily rapid tests. The federal government also promised to buy 52 million tests this month from Asia and the United States. 11As the country faces a shortage of tests, police on Wednesday said 42,000 tests worth about $500,000 were stolen from a freight station in Sydney. 12I'm Ashley Thompson. 13The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted the story for Learning English. 14___________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16variant - n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind 17visa - n. an official mark or stamp on a passport that allows someone to enter or leave a country usually for a particular reason 18hospitality - n. the activity of providing food, drinks, etc. for people who are the guests or customers of an organization - often used before another noun 19isolate - v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others 20rapid - adj. happening in a short amount of time : happening quickly 21freight - n. goods that are carried by ships, trains, trucks, or airplanes