The Job Market In Australia
Managing Your ExpectationsIf you are coming to Australia with the notion of furthering your career but do not have a job lined up or any contacts, I can’t stress enough the importance of researching your chosen market prior to making the life-changing decision to relocate.
The Realities
The chances are that you may well have to take a considerable pay cut and (or) take a position that could be considered a step back or two in your career ladder to order to gain some experience in the Australian markets. Therefore do ensure that this is something you are prepared to do ahead of your visa application.
The country may be enormous but the job markets generally are on a much smaller scale than our large cities such as London and Manchester. This means that competition for some professional jobs (eg banking, marketing, law, etc) is fierce and Australian employers do reserve the right to exclude non-residents from applying for any job. As a nation the Aussies are passionately patriotic, and do like to promote from within as well, which limits opportunities for overseas workers even more.
In order to meet Australia’s strict visa entry requirements, you might also have to consider living and working in rural areas where you may be able to meet local skills shortages. On the whole there is no shortage of workers in the metropolitan cities of Sydney, Perth and Melbourne therefore you might have to be flexible in location and consider moving to areas further afield such as Tasmania or regional South Australia.
Don’t panic though, as the country’s economy is strong and there are some fantastic opportunities available throughout the country for UK workers – you just have to find them!
As you would expect, there are no set rules as to how easily you’ll find work in Australia, and it will depend on many factors, but the following may help you with your search for employment.
Where To Begin
If you are seeking to permanently live and work in Australia then you must ensure that you are able to find work as the Australian government will
not grant visas to migrants who cannot provide evidence that they can support themselves and their families.
It is therefore essential that you evaluate the current Australian job market to establish if your occupation is one that is currently in demand. Even if you enter the country on a temporary visa with the aim of finding work, it is an awfully long way to come to discover that the market you are looking for work in is in decline or flooded with applications from Australian residents.
Research is the key to you ensuring that you maximise all of the potential job opportunities that are available to you.
www.workplace.gov.au
An Overview Of The Current Job Market
The Current SituationAustralia is enjoying a booming economy with unemployment at its lowest for 20 years. It is a country full of opportunities for foreign workers. Savvy, skilled professionals should be able to forge wonderful careers here providing that they are realistic in their expectations. There is a variety of job opportunities across Australia, ranging from tradespersons to professionals and business executives. In fact, 2006/2007 is the best possible time for skilled Brits to look for work in Australia as labour analysts have predicted a dire skills shortage in Australia over the next ten years as the country’s ageing population faces retirement.
In August 2005, the Australian government announced details of a large-scale recruitment programme aimed directly at skilled British labour, which is fantastic news for job seekers. This new recruitment drive is reminiscent of the ‘Ten Pound Pom’ campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s and is an indication of how in demand skilled British workers are across the country.
In particular, the government hopes to attract skilled British migrants to the country’s various regional States under recently relaxed regulations. The government has expanded its 2006 migration programme to include 20,000 extra visas, which is a significant increase on previous years.
On announcing the 2005-06 Migration (non-Humanitarian) Programme, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Senator Amanda Vanstone commented, ‘Migrants are playing a vital role in helping to address the critical skill shortages felt by employers in local communities across Australia’.