work in australia

bugle

From talking to people back home ive been given the impression that people still believe that australia is some land of opportunity where work is plentiful. this was teh case when i applied for my visa but not when i got here. through looking into this i can see that a certian company that would sort out your flights etc is a major contributor to this notion and theyre having exhibitions etc around the country.I just wanted to point out for anyone back home that this is not the case. hostels are full of confused irish/english people who have been living in a 12 bed dorms for over a month wondering why there is no work. obviously there is the odd exception, some people know people, some people get lucky but in most cases we are unemployed and watching every penny in a foreign country. through sheer committment and by lowering my standards (way way way down) i have managed to get a job. i just think its important that someone gives a heads up, i would reccomend trying something different cus i prob would have reconsidered coming here if i knew the work scene would be so bad.

Latchy

Liveline programme has this as it's main topic today . Bit of an eye opener for anybody thinking of going down under .

Dave!

Caught the end of that Liveline... very disheartening as I've been planning on going to Oz with friends for the last 4 or 5 years Dunno what to do

Scatman81

What a great day to hear this just booked my flight to Brisbane today only goin for a few months though im hoping to get some work truck driving.I think anything construction related has slowed down a bit over there so im told:(

shane86

bugle wrote: »

From talking to people back home ive been given the impression that people still believe that australia is some land of opportunity where work is plentiful. this was teh case when i applied for my visa but not when i got here. through looking into this i can see that a certian company that would sort out your flights etc is a major contributor to this notion and theyre having exhibitions etc around the country.I just wanted to point out for anyone back home that this is not the case. hostels are full of confused irish/english people who have been living in a 12 bed dorms for over a month wondering why there is no work. obviously there is the odd exception, some people know people, some people get lucky but in most cases we are unemployed and watching every penny in a foreign country. through sheer committment and by lowering my standards (way way way down) i have managed to get a job. i just think its important that someone gives a heads up, i would reccomend trying something different cus i prob would have reconsidered coming here if i knew the work scene would be so bad.

Where are you?

Im Sydney bound this week. Still dont reckon it will be as bad as here, from checking the Aussie media there is little to report on the scale of here.

I know of people who packed it in, alot of whom

a- construction workers who couldnt find site work and wouldnt do "kids/girls work" like supermarkets or fast food restaurents.

or

b- Girls who wouldnt do the above because it was too tough

Is menial work really on the slide? I was on holiday in November, it was grand.

hussey

There are thousands of Australians coming back from UK/Ireland as they cannot get a job here, and there has been a big increase of Europeans here on holiday visa too.

There still are smaller low paid jobs around, but a lot of company (esp finance and IT) seem to have frozen their work force to see what happens.

I've friends on both sides, one in recruitment where she said she recieved 65 accountant CV's for 1 job, another a highly skilled worker who can't even get an interview.

My recruitment friend said there has been an increase in contract work, massive decrease in full time, and the chances of sponsorship is very low at the moment.

But ya know these things can change suddenly, australian companies have slimmed down their workforce but yet still have work on, e..g my company trimmed 100 people, but yet in February they are looking for 10people to complete a project, after a 4 month job freeze

Sammag

http://business.theage.com.au/business/slowing-economy-forces-immigration-cut-20090223-8fge.html


Slowing economy forces immigration cut
February 23, 2009 - 1:51PM
Australia will cut its annual immigration intake for the first time in eight years due to the slowing economy and weakening demand for labour, Immigration Minister Chris Evans said today.

Australia is a nation of immigrants and has been enjoying a boom in new arrivals for the past decade to help meet labour shortages as a China-fuelled mining boom drove unemployment rates to 30-year lows.

But six of Australia's major trading partners are now in recession, economic growth has stalled, and unemployment has started to rise with the government expecting unemployment to hit 7% by mid-2010 from 4.8% currently.

"I expect the numbers of our programme to drop next year ... as a reaction to the economic circumstances," Evans told reporters.

"It is fair to say that we expect the demand in the economy for labour to reduce. As it is a program very much linked to the demand for labour, we expect to run a smaller program."

Australia has been accepting immigrants in record numbers in recent years and set a target for 190,300 immigrants this year, up 20% on the 2007-08 financial year and higher than the post world war II record of 185,099 in 1969-70.

About one in four of Australia's 21 million people were born overseas, and Australia has been actively trying to attract skilled workers, with immigration fairs targetting university graduates and people with trades in Europe, Britain and India.

At the same time, Australia has begun a trial program to bring in thousands of seasonal workers from Pacific islands nations to help farmers pick fruit crops in country areas that have suffered acute labour shortages.

Australia's planned immigration intake has increased every year since 1997, although the number actually settling in Australia fell by about 20,000 in 2001-02.

Evans said the final number of immigrants that Australia would accept has yet to be determined. The government would decide that in the lead-up to the national budget to be delivered on May 12.

But he said the government would continue to target immigrants with skills for sectors where there is continued high demand, including the nursing and health sectors.

"We've been focused very much at the high-skill end over the years, and we will continue to be focused on the skills we need," he said.

Evans said about half of the skilled settlers in Australia come as temporary workers and then decide to stay permanently.

Australia has accepted nearly 7 million immigrants since the end of World War II.

Reuters

Mobooo

shane86 wrote: »

Where are you?

Im Sydney bound this week. Still dont reckon it will be as bad as here, from checking the Aussie media there is little to report on the scale of here.

I know of people who packed it in, alot of whom

a- construction workers who couldnt find site work and wouldnt do "kids/girls work" like supermarkets or fast food restaurents.

or

b- Girls who wouldnt do the above because it was too tough

Is menial work really on the slide? I was on holiday in November, it was grand.

Employers are getting picky and if you are on a working holiday visa then you will be the last one picked as you can only work for 6 months. it is as bad here for the whvs as it is at home for everyone!

Zambia

The people who returned because they would not work in coles or KFC I bet did not even apply as these companies tend to reject over skilled people.

Its a fallacy to believe there is any job you can just walk into in Australia these days.