WORK AVAILABILITY

[Brett]

Hi Ryan,

Hang in there, something will come up. I'm a mechanical/industrial designer with many many years experience but work is hard to come by at the moment, although that being said I see alot of work for civil designers so keep looking.

Nobody can stay positive all the time, all you need to do is every now and then just put things in perspective. In my case I need to remember that in SA I would also most likely stuggle to find new employment quickly, that looking for work for a few months in the schem of things is not that long, that spending this time with my daughter will pay divedends more than any investment in work, and that things generally turn out the way they should and we dont always know that till its all over.

All the best and good luck.

Brett

[RyanO]

Hi Everyone,

thanks for the condolences.

This is the first time in my career I have been unemployed, so really hard to deal with.

457 sucks, even the refugees have more rights. Next time I'm climbing on a boat and arriving as a refugee.

The employment sites all have dozens of positions advertised, as many as when the economy was still booming, pity all those positions aren't for real.

And then when I mention my visa situation they start rolling their eyes.

Ryan

[Guest Durbanite]

I am going to stick my neck out here, just like Bob did when he warned everyone about coming on a 457, he got shot down and now his words appear to have been prohetic! So, if you do not agree with my view, that is your right, just ignore it, however, if you do, please add to this post, it would be appreciated.

We moved to Brisbane in July of 1997, although this is a long time ago, I do not think that the Queensland attitude has changed in the interim. I work as a Financial Manager, and I have never had a problem getting a job. I have never gone for more than three interviews when job hunting, and often I would be offered at least two out of the three jobs. I have references that could be framed, they are that good. Now before you think I am just here, blowing my own trumpet, that is not the case, but you have to understand the background in order to understand my advice on Brisbane.

As stated, we arrived there in July 1997, I immediately set about job hunting, had my first interview a week later. In the next four months I went for 17 interviews, yes, that is right 17 interviews. The worst part is, I was not even short listed once! I eventually decided that there is something dreadfully wrong, so took the chance and called the last five jobs that I had interviewed unsuccessfully for. The comment I got from three of them, sorry the job went to a Queenslander! Two of them actually told me that although I was better qualified to do the job, their company's commitment is to first employ a Queenslander before anyone else! Please also understand that none of these jobs were through an employment agency, they were all direct. I cannot tell you how stunned I was by their remarks, it was pure discrimination, definitely thought about reporting them to some or other authority, but what would be the point? As Christmas was approaching, I decided to give it a break, enjoy myself and try and adjust to the humidity! Chatting to someone in human resources at a barbie, I was also informed that it is policy to first employ a Queenslander, then an Australian, then a Kiwi and lastly an immigrant! I was stunned, although I was a Kiwi, I spoke with the wrong accent. Please also realise, that I was happy to do any job involving books, anything from accounts clerk to financial manager, it did not matter to me, I just wanted to work.

Mid November, hubby came home from work and stated that he had endured enough of the relentless humidity, that it was OK if you worked in an air conditioned environment, but if, like him, you had to work in a workshop, this was not the place to be. Worst of all was, it was only November and everyone told us that it would be getting a lot worse, come January to March! We had a family conference and he decided to call the company in Melbourne that had also offered him a position, they just asked when could he start? So here we were, off to Melbourne.

With new vigour I immediatley started checking for new jobs in Melbourne. I sent out a few applications, and three days later had a call from one, he was very interested, was coming to Brisbane on business and could I meet with him, which I did. Offered me the job, there and then, and was happy to wait for me to arrive and give me two weeks to settle in. Best of all.....I had not even set foot in Melbourne yet, but I had a job!

So my advice to all of you arriving on PR, think carefully before you decide to settle in Brisbane, especially in the present economic climate! There are far more jobs available, across the board, in Melbourne and Sydney, than what there is in Brisbane. If you have your mind set on living in Queensland, then I suggest you come to either Melbourne or Sydney, spend a couple of years here, set yourself up with the famous 'Australian experience' and then look at moving yourself to Queensland. Melbourne and Sydney do not have a problem with immigrants and people with funny accents, mostly, all they are interested in is whether or not you can do the job!

Life does not come with guarantees, coming to Melbourne and Sydney will not guarantee that you will get a job, but I am pretty sure, you may find it easier than in Brisbane.

Good luck with your journey!

Just a quick one to tell you that things have change a whole lot since '97 hun!!!

My hubby an accountant with 20 years exp in the same group, came in March this year and 2 months later in Melb there was no hope, 3 interviews and not 1 YES, they were interviewing about 10 people for one job, he was told that soooo many Australians in Melb were looking for the same type of job and they will always have priority!!!

Cheerss

[Guest Durbanite]

Hi Everyone,

thanks for the condolences.

This is the first time in my career I have been unemployed, so really hard to deal with.

457 sucks, even the refugees have more rights. Next time I'm climbing on a boat and arriving as a refugee.

The employment sites all have dozens of positions advertised, as many as when the economy was still booming, pity all those positions aren't for real.

And then when I mention my visa situation they start rolling their eyes.

Ryan

Hi Ryan,

What's up, I read yr previous e-mails and wanted to know what's yr situation now, hope you have found something mate!!!

We are also from Durbs and my husband is an accountant but took us almost 3 months to get a job and still not happy 'cause Canberra sucks!!!

Durbanite

[RyanO]

Hi Ryan,

What's up, I read yr previous e-mails and wanted to know what's yr situation now, hope you have found something mate!!!

We are also from Durbs and my husband is an accountant but took us almost 3 months to get a job and still not happy 'cause Canberra sucks!!!

Durbanite

Hi Durbanite,

Thanks for asking.

I have been offered another position which I heard of through a colleague. The owner of the company is Ex-South African so I think that helped a bit.

So at the moment we are waiting for DIAC to approve the nomination, which seems to be taking forever. We are now into week 5.

Hopefully the nomination will be approved before things change and this company decide they either don't need me anymore or can't wait any longer.

What's wrong with Canberra?

The more I see of this country the more I like it.

Ryan

[Guest Durbanite]

Hi Durbanite,

Thanks for asking.

I have been offered another position which I heard of through a colleague. The owner of the company is Ex-South African so I think that helped a bit.

So at the moment we are waiting for DIAC to approve the nomination, which seems to be taking forever. We are now into week 5.

Hopefully the nomination will be approved before things change and this company decide they either don't need me anymore or can't wait any longer.

What's wrong with Canberra?

The more I see of this country the more I like it.

Ryan

First of all is the darned cold weather am frezzing my toes off>>> U know coming from Durbs and this was not a plan we had no choice, hubby looked for work in Melb for 2 solid months to no avail so he got an offer from Canberra and here we are but really always looking to go up North, hopefully something should materialise end of this week and we can move again to warmer land!!! I like Australia but again is full of Ossies so What is DIAC?? Anyway are U here with family?? is anybody working?? It most be difficult we had that problem in Melb 2 months of expenses and not a dollar coming in, it was devastating for our bank balance> feeling a bit more comfortable now, still 2 cold!!!

Let us know how you go, keep positive

D

[CTFamily]

Thanks for starting this Mara - interesting topic. Thought I'd give a Sydney slant.

We didn't choose Sydney - it chose us in the form of a sponsored 457 for me but we were happy as DH is also in IT and we figured he would be able to find something good here. We are now 2 months in and it is seriously an uphill struggle. As everyone says the agencies are a nightmare - advertising jobs that don't exist or the same job described 20 different ways. Then they hear he is on a 457 and they and say 'Oh no, this is for a Permanent resident or citizen, no point in applying'. The lessons we've learnt is to:

1. Tailor your CV and covering letter to all applications.

2. Learn the local lingo in respect to your area of expertise - there is a big distinction between 'Business Analyst' and 'Technical Business Analyst' here for example.

3. AVOID agencies where possible!! Get hold of the companies directly or (for industries like banking) find the agency that they use for recruitment (their HR will tell you!) and speak to them directly

4. Follow up, follow up, follow up - just that reminder of who you are can make a difference. DH followed up an application and they had not received it - he sent it again and had an interview (and now we wait.....)

Definitely an Aussies first mentality exists and we have also been told of the 1000's of applications per job - it's demoralising for DH not to have found something but he is putting in 100% effort and we live in hope! The market here has also been hit hard but I think that because of Sydney's size the opportunities will always be a bit better here.

And finally on the 457 route - it is a HARD option, especially in NSW where you have to pay for schooling if you have kids. We are embarking on ENS PR as soon as my skills are assessed as we find that we just 'don't exist' on a 457. Think hard before choosing that route and make sure you have a solid sponsor behind you.

Emmigration = Not for sissies!!!

[IamInACT]

I like Australia but again is full of Ossies so

Durbanite, if this is what you thinking then I feel you are going to have problems adjusting.

Regards T

[Guest Durbanite]

Durbanite, if this is what you thinking then I feel you are going to have problems adjusting.

Regards T

Lighten up Hun!!! It's just a joke but then again wait 'till you get here>>> have fun

[Izabelle]

Hallo everyone.We want to relocate to Australia.We have permanent residency in NZ,but cannot cope with this weather.Or kids are unhappy.My husband is a qualified fitter&turner.Currently he has been in a maintenance fitter/Workshop Supervisor position for almost three years.We cant apply for residency now,but what sites are worth while trying to get a job.There is so many!I also dont know anybody in Aussie.We have moved from South-Africa,Cape Town almost three years ago.Is the Aussie culture similiar to Kiwi culture.We have been from Auckland to Wellington,and cant seem to find ourselves settling.Our kids are in favour of Aussie,and that helps.Hope someone out there can give us a few ideas.

Edited September 29, 2009 by Izabelle

[Chocaholic]

Hi there.

It was really interesting and rather worrisome to read these postings on work availibility in Brisbane and the attitude of Queenslanders when it comes to giving jobs to immigrants.

I would like to know, what the situation is for skilled people that come on a skilled work (I think that's what it's called?) Visa - 136, such as for example in my husband's case Chartered Accountants?

I am sure the general attitude, as in prefering to give jobs to Aussies first would be the same, however, what is the general job market in that field like at the moment? Are there still plenty of jobs available at the moment or did the economic crisis have a huge impact in this regard over there too? We are first and foremost looking at Brisbane/Coomera at the moment? A mistake maybe? Are there far more jobs available in Melbourne and Sydney for Chartered Accountants too?

It would be greatly appreciated, if someone out there could let me know (and if you have a job offer too - hey....

Thanks so much, Tanja

[Mara]

Hi Tanja

You will always have more vacancies in Melbourne and Sydney, mainly because you are talking about a much bigger city, there are more employers and therefore more jobs available.

Personally, I would go where the jobs are, may not be my ideal place, but once I have found my feet, have that required Aussie experience under my belt, have had an opportunity of having a good look around, then it may be the right time to go where I really want to be.

[Chocaholic]

Hi Tanja

You will always have more vacancies in Melbourne and Sydney, mainly because you are talking about a much bigger city, there are more employers and therefore more jobs available.

Personally, I would go where the jobs are, may not be my ideal place, but once I have found my feet, have that required Aussie experience under my belt, have had an opportunity of having a good look around, then it may be the right time to go where I really want to be.

Hi again, Mara,

Thanks for replying to all my posts (have been busy yesterday, as you probably saw - so many things to worry about and consider...pets, work, schools......argh...). One worry I have is that if we wait to see where my husband finds a job, then what about the schools. As far as I heard there are waiting lists at some schools of 12-18 months. And as we have pretty much decided where we want to settle (down to the exact place (Sanctuary Cove), it made deciding on which schools to apply to much easier. But maybe we are being a bit naive and hasty? I am just one of those that like things to be planned to the last bit....Maybe not the right approach?

"Speak" again soon, no doubt, Tanja

[Mara]

Hi Tanja

Just my opinion, but I think you honestly need to keep your options open, with regard to jobs. Try the idea of checking out www.seek.com.au for say a week, everyday, then skip three weeks, then check again. Most jobs on seek are advertised for 30 days. If you find, say, 20 jobs for chartered accountants in Melbourne, perhaps 25 in Sydney and only 2 in Brisbane, then you may have the answer you are looking for.

[billabong]

Hi there....

We arrived in Sydney on 9 October and my husband started working yesterday.....there is a lot of hiring going on here (and a lot of people advertising).....and I truely think that anyone looking should have something (might not be the dream job yet!!!) within a month.....just my opinion....O, my husband is in IT, if that makes a difference....

[Duray]

LEAP OF FAITH???????

I am a 42 year old white male in SA with a wife and two kids, aged 12 and 15.

I started my own business some two years back which hasn't worked out in these econ times.

Basically I am unemployed at present and now trying to re-enter the SA job market seems near impossible.

I have applied for about 50 jobs in the last 4 months. These resulted in two interviews and I was shortlisted for the one but it never went further.

Is this what awaits my children? When we first had kids I consoled myself with the fact that EE/AA would be over by the time they are looking for jobs. Not to be!!!! In fact there is talk about intensifying EE.

So I look to distant shores offering a "level playing field" and have started enquiries with an agent. I have a degree and a diploma and am experienced in telecoms.........BUT what happens if i apply for my 175 and then sit in a similar position in Oz? At least in SA I have some kind of support network.

I logic this out by telling myself that the Oz unemployment is low with a low inflation rate and a robust GDP. So a job can't be too far off?

Am I correct in my assumptions????

[Duray]

i plan a "low risk" entry off course leaving the family in SA while I come over and try to find a job and get to know the country.

If i am still without a job after 6 months or so i get on the next plane back to SA

[Gizmo]

LEAP OF FAITH???????

I am a 42 year old white male in SA with a wife and two kids, aged 12 and 15.

I started my own business some two years back which hasn't worked out in these econ times.

Basically I am unemployed at present and now trying to re-enter the SA job market seems near impossible.

I have applied for about 50 jobs in the last 4 months. These resulted in two interviews and I was shortlisted for the one but it never went further.

Is this what awaits my children? When we first had kids I consoled myself with the fact that EE/AA would be over by the time they are looking for jobs. Not to be!!!! In fact there is talk about intensifying EE.

So I look to distant shores offering a "level playing field" and have started enquiries with an agent. I have a degree and a diploma and am experienced in telecoms.........BUT what happens if i apply for my 175 and then sit in a similar position in Oz? At least in SA I have some kind of support network.

I logic this out by telling myself that the Oz unemployment is low with a low inflation rate and a robust GDP. So a job can't be too far off?

Am I correct in my assumptions????

A

Duray - this topic was started a year ago in the worst of the Australian economic down-turn - so it is not 100% relevant to now. Although SA is still stuck in the slump, Aus is recovering. Although things aren't what they were before the recession, there are way more jobs available on the Aussie market than there were a year ago.

[Mara]

Duray, it appears the telecoms field is alive and well and hiring. I honestly do not think you would be returning to the RSA after six months without a job. Just a word of advice, be careful of which agent you use for your application, there are a number of problem ones out there. Anyone of the agents on this website come highly recommended. You may want to check out the following job websites.

http://www.google.com.au/search?source=ig&...mp;aq=f&oq=

http://www.seek.com.au

http://www.mycareer.com.au

http://www.careerone.com.au

[Annene]

LEAP OF FAITH???????

I am a 42 year old white male in SA with a wife and two kids, aged 12 and 15.

I started my own business some two years back which hasn't worked out in these econ times.

Basically I am unemployed at present and now trying to re-enter the SA job market seems near impossible.

I have applied for about 50 jobs in the last 4 months. These resulted in two interviews and I was shortlisted for the one but it never went further.

Is this what awaits my children? When we first had kids I consoled myself with the fact that EE/AA would be over by the time they are looking for jobs. Not to be!!!! In fact there is talk about intensifying EE.

So I look to distant shores offering a "level playing field" and have started enquiries with an agent. I have a degree and a diploma and am experienced in telecoms.........BUT what happens if i apply for my 175 and then sit in a similar position in Oz? At least in SA I have some kind of support network.

I logic this out by telling myself that the Oz unemployment is low with a low inflation rate and a robust GDP. So a job can't be too far off?

Am I correct in my assumptions????

Hi Duray,

It seems you are in the same boat as my Brother in law. He is also in telecoms and is in the process of getting State sponsored PR. The states sponsoring in telecoms would be (It may have changed) Northern Territory (tooo hot and humid), South Australia and Western Australia. Also I am not sure how the job hunting will go. Whether the state helps allocating jobs or leaves you to fend for yourself. But they wouldn't sponsor if there wasn't a need for your experience. It think?! He is about the same age as you. Perhaps you guys know each other too!

Anyhow he has 3 kids and their future in SA is a worry too

My partner and I have been here for 2,5 years (Brisbane) and though we miss home terribly. We have not spent 1 second looking over our shoulders, getting up at night looking to see whats outside the house when hearing a noise. Or worrying if we had locked the house and set the alarm.

But the job hunting issue, becomes an issue. They do discriminate, and I may be opinionated in saying this but I have had first hand experience and so has my partner. He has applied for jobs almost everyday over seek etc. He doesn't even get a reply saying 'Thank you for your application but...' Nothing. So he has started his own Gardening service which is going really slow but we believe it will pick up. He hasn't stopped applying to various positions either.

It is not the first time I have heard people say the each state is different especially QLD. They are all industry specific (and Ozzie's say the same) though I do believe other states are more open to foreigners such as perhaps WA and VIC.

If you want me to put you in contact with my brother in law to give you some advice or just chat. Let me know.

Oh yes, also I met a technician who had installed our phone lines and he was from RSA too. He had worked for telkom many many years ago. He now works for Telstra as an independent contractor. He bought his own van and tools (and you claim your taxes back on that from the GOV.) and receives jobs from Telstra directly. He is very busy and does well for himself. Those type of jobs generally pay well, I guess as much as you are willing to put into it. But I am not sure what your experience is either so I am just talking generally.

All the best, good luck!

Annene

[Jaiynelle]

It's a sad day when Australian's are generalized in such a way that we only employ our own countryman first before others with perhaps more experience or knowledge. I am an 8th generation Australian - who also would like to find work. If you mean only employing other Australians first do you mean......Australians of Indian origin, English origin, Asian origin, etc etc etc. I have been seeking a Government position for years and it seams that unless you have accent anything other than an Australian you are not qualified for any position in the Federal, State or Local Government. It seems all of these positions have been taken up my the immigrants from other countries - who have applied for these positions prior to coming into the country and the interview is a foregone conclusion that these new countrymen have the job. So please do not say that they employ Aussies first when you don't know all the facts of this country.

Thanks Mara for that.

To add my 5c worth. I would be careful about coming to Perth unless you come with a job. Perth industry is heavily reliant on Mining. The mining sector is the worst effected by an economy fall. All the big companies here are not retrenching - they are culling!!! I came with a job, but, that was just before all this happened. Our company is now in trouble, they have already had a heavy round of retrenchments. We have all recently had to take a 10% pay cut. My three month probation is half-way through. I doubt that considering their situation, they will keep me on. In my field in Perth, since November, there are only about three jobs advertised!!! This is shocking - before November last year, there were at least 5 new jobs posted every day!!! The three jobs which have been advertised are all director positions (actually I suspect the adverts are actually all the same job) - they require somebody with almost double my experience, but also someone who knows the Perth market intimately and can scare up work - way above what I am capable of at the moment.

For hubby, there were ridiculous amounts of jobs posted before we came - about 20 new ones per day!! Now that we are here, there is almost nothing. With all the retrenchments, the few jobs available have fierce competition. He spoke at length to one of the agents looking for him - apparently, a job gets posted and the firm is inundated with applications in the first few hours. Before they day is out, they have over 100 applications, so they stop accepting any applications and pick someone from the first 100!!! To be the early bird and get into that first 100, you have to know people here. You need the networking to get the heads up that a job is going to become available - by the time the job hits the internet, it is too late already.

We have started looking at Melbourne and Sydney - in both our fields there are many more jobs available there. Not as many jobs as last year, but a lot more than in Perth!

(Oh, and please, nobody suggest that we go and work at Coles or Bunnings to ride out the tide - there aren't any jobs there either and neither hubby nor myself have any teller, or sales experience. Coles and Bunnings etc would take one look at or CV's and know that the minute we found something better we would be off... with no experience and with the potential to be unreliable, they would not hire us. Not to mention the numerous Aussies wondering around looking for work. Yes - they do the hire an Aussie first thing here too - unless you have contacts of course).

[quinswan]

is this still the case or has the upswing in the economy improved the job hunting prosepcts of people.

What do most people feel.

[zoot]

From what I hear from the agents the election and then the time taken to finally decide who would lead the country has meant that things went into a sort of limbo, nobody recruiting, nobody making or implementing plans until they knew which way things would go. They are now hoping that having finalised a government companies will be able to start thinking of recruiting again but I doubt it. It almost seems to me that companies got such a fright with the GFC that they dont want to be the first to stick their neck out so everyone is waiting for someone else to take the first move.

[MG Family]

I applied for about a hundred jobs in the insurance industry in Melbourne since March 2010 with little success.

I often received feedback that I am too experienced (9 years finance manager and 9 years portfolio manager) for some jobs, even though I made it clear that I'm prepared to start in a junior position.

I've been told the clients require "local" experience and even though I have build up a good relationship with a couple of specialist insurance agents, they tell me their clients dictate.

I've also been told that the industry is in a lull at the moment.

Many ex South Africans suggest I spend more time on building a network of Saffas as it is unlikely that I will find my first job in the general market.

Others recommend I do something totally different.

All I know is that if I don't get an opportunity in October or November, summer holidays will be here and I will have spent the best part of a year looking for a job.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

MG

PS My wife got a 6 month contract in database management within 2 months and I have also met other IT specialists who were employed within a short period of time, maybe it is an industry issue?

[elleneo]

I find making aussie friends helps...I got recommended for a job by an australian and I think thats what helped get my foot in the door...this is however in a professional field so maby its different in other sectors....so my advice is network network network!! you never know who you may end up befriending.