Australia will slash its skilled migrant intake to protect Aussie jobs in the face of rising unemployment.

The government will cut the intake by nearly 20,000, down to 115,000 this financial year.

Manufacturing and building jobs have been taken off the critical skills list, forcing companies to find local skilled labourers.

“This is not a xenophobic response, this in not an anti-migration response. It’s about fine tuning the programme with the economic needs of
the country,” immigration minister Chris Evans said.

Employers can still sponsor workers from outside Australia through the 457 visa migrant scheme if they prove no local labour is available.