The business sector has called on the Australian government to temporarily boost the level of skilled migration to tackle acute labour shortages exacerbated by the loss of workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Business Council of Australia (BCA), an industry association whose members comprise the chief executives of over 100 of the country’s largest corporations, has made many recommendations to the Australian government over a wide range of topics in its submission to the 2022-23 budget. In particular, the council recommended the federal government push up the annual permanent skilled migration ceiling to 220,000 in the next two financial years, before letting it revert to 190,000 in 2024 to 2025. A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs told The Epoch Times that Australia’s Migration Program was carefully designed to achieve a range of economic and social outcomes that meet the country’s needs while taking into account many factors. “The size …