Australia: Manning the Outpost

There are twice as many kangaroos as there are people in Australia. This is reassuring for marsupial buffs, but worrisome for the men who are struggling to develop and hold their rich, empty western outpost in an Asia seething with unrest. With only 11 million humans in a land as big as the continental U.S., Australia is rushing to completion $4 billion worth of industrial projects over the next five years. The labor shortage is so severe that in some skilled occupations there are 15 jobs for every applicant. Despite an influx...

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