Researching The Australian Job Market From The Uk

Sourcing Information

The following sites provide an invaluable insight into the current labour market and provide comprehensive and up to date information, which will undoubtedly help all prospective Australian job seekers. It would be advisable to take time in searching these sites for information relevant to you, well ahead of making your decision to relocate. You may save yourself enormous amounts of time and will equip yourself with the facts so that you can make an informed decision about your future plans.

Government Based Information

www.workplace.gov.au

This site contains a wealth of information for job seekers. Australian Workplace will help you find information on employment, workplace relations, government assistance, jobs, careers, training and wages. It also contains information which will give you the most update and comprehensive information about labour markets across the entire country. This may help you determine what sort of visa application you lodge as you should be able to determine whether and where in Australia there is a need for people with your particular skills.

There is a must-read publication on this site that will provide you with an in-depth overview of the current Australian jobs market.

Select the Labour Market Information section of the website, and click through onto Labour Market Information – Skill Shortages & Vacancy Trends. Within this section there will be a document named Jobs Outlook. This is a yearly publication which provides an overview of the skills projected to be in demand in the future and highlights occupations with good prospects.

Australian Jobs Update

Australian Jobs Update is a quarterly publication produced by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to aid the understanding of the labour market: www.workplace.gov.au under the information for migrants.

National State And Skills Shortage Lists

This is a list of professions that are in short supply across Australia and the States. It will advise if the shortages are across the State or within regional or metropolitan areas.

Future Job Prospects

This site also predicts the prospects for a wide range of occupations up to year 2010/2011.

Skilled Occupation List (Sol)

In order to migrate to Australia via Independent Skilled Migration, which is the route explored by most professionals under 45, your occupation must be on the Australian Immigrations Skilled Occupations List. This falls into four categories:

managers and administrators
professionals
associate professionals
trade occupations.

All of the above lists can be found at:

www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1121i.pdf under ‘migration’, in particular ‘general skilled migration’.

Migration Occupations In Demand List (Modl)

When applying to enter Australia via the Skilled Independent visa category you can earn extra points if your occupation is also currently on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL), which is current at the time that their application is assessed (not when their application is lodged).

The MODL list is not to be confused with the Skilled Occupations List (SOL), which is a visa prerequisite.

The MODL is reviewed annually to take into consideration existing and emerging skill shortages. Applications from persons who nominate an occupation on the MODL are priority processed.

In April 2005 the Australian government announced significant changes to its immigration strategy – adding 20,000 places to the skill stream of the country’s 2005-2006 Migration Programme. As a direct result of this, it made additions to its Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL). These changes are designed to help Australia meet its short- and long-term labour force needs.

The new skills on the MODL list include bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, cooks, dentists, plumbers, podiatrists and many more. All of these occupations, plus those already on the MODL, receive an extra 15 points and priority processing through Australia’s points-style immigration programme.

An extra ten points will also now be allocated for State/Region sponsorship under the Skilled Independent Regional (SIR) visa to address the demands for more skilled migrants by many States and Regions.

‘The changes reflect the government’s strongly held view regarding the benefits of well managed immigration arrangements. A primary aim will be to increase the number of skilled migrants entering under the employer sponsored categories, as it is employers who are best placed to identify the skilled migrants we need,’ said the Minister for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), Senator Amanda Vanstone.

For the up to date and current MODL refer to: www.immi.gov.au/migration

Additional Information

www.myfuture.edu.au

Myfuture is an Australian career website that seeks to help people make career decisions, plan career pathways and manage work transitions. It contains information on trends of work and current vacancies, and provides tips on job applications, resumes and interviews.

Prior To Departure From The Uk

The internet is a wonderful tool for research and it will allow you to check out the size of your chosen industry in the State you wish to reside in and identify the main companies. You may even be able to send your CV via email from the UK to relevant companies, which may provide you with some valuable feedback as to how buoyant the market is for people in your profession. At the very least it will provide you with a list of companies you can target when you arrive and their websites might supply you with their phone number or even list positions that are vacant. You will then be able to ring your targeted companies. The human resources department is usually a good place to start your fact finding mission.

International Recruitment Agencies

A few of the UK’s largest recruitment agencies offer help and advice on working in Australia. Some of them even list current vacancies and secure interviews for your arrival.

www.michaelpage.co.uk
www.internationalcareers.hudson.com
www.robertwalters.com

Working Holidays

Useful Sites For Working Holiday Visa Holders

Some recruitment agencies specialise in helping Working Holiday Visa holders find temporary employment.