If Australia was one of the best performing countries during a time when the whole world was facing an economic meltdown, it has got a lot to thank its migrants for. 

The 300,000 migrants and temporary workers that entered Australia last year combined to be one of the biggest contributors to the country’s good economic performance through the recession.

The stimulus brought by migrant spending can be compared with the government’s first cash splash. Additionally, the temporary migrant labour force now holds about 7.5% of all jobs, which helped keep unemployment numbers lower than in most other countries.

Research conducted by Bruce Chapman at Australian National University has shown that migrants create more jobs during a downturn than during a boom, as they demand for goods and services creates job vacancies. According to Chapman, the rise in vacancies generates more new employment during a recession than during a boom, when labour is in short supply.

ANU demographer Peter McDonald estimates that temporary migrants now make up 70% of the total migration numbers in Australia and that there are about 830,000 temporary migrants in the workforce, as well as 250,000 full-time international students.