Australia needs foreign backpackers to return
It is facing some of the rich world’s worst labour shortages
AsiAN countries blessed with natural beauty, sunshine and copious local beer sometimes consider backpackers a curse—unwashed, promiscuous cheapskates who party too hard and spend too little. Not Australia. Backpackers spend time enjoying its white sands and oceans of booze, true. But they also work to fund their travel, providing the country with a steady supply of cheap, low-skilled labour.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Hostel to fortune”
Asia October 1st 2022
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