Is it really that tough for engineers?

[Odendaal]

Hi everyone, while we wait for our assessment, I'm going to ask a few questions...

I've noticed that many people in the engineering industry have made comments about how flooded the market is and how it's difficult to find employment as an engineer in Aus...

Is it really that bad? I may be naive but I think that if you really look and work hard you'll find something. Then again, I'm not set on working as an engineer in Aus anyway...we'll take what ever comes my way really but I'd just like to get some views on the industry in Aus at the moment.

Thanks

[ottg]

My view: The real picture is not always visible from "outside". Once you inside an industry and you start assessing, asking questions, networking and looking at results achieved the picture starts to change. That brings new opportunities!

However many of those opportunities are not always economical feasible and often allows space for only a few individuals. If a market is attractive enough the competition will be there and new opportunities will be clearly visible.

Often businesses do not see the value in employing expensive engineers as many of the jobs can get done by trade. This is because the projects do not have intense design elements, or that element has been off-shored etc. Most decisions are profit driven and 95% of businesses are small businesses.

On the other hand; industry often complains about overspending and quality issues with deliverables etc. We all know the answer - where were your engineers?

So to answer your question and I generalise: if you intent sending out your resume and expect to land a job it will be tough but if you have 10 different strategies executed simultaneously you will have a much better chance - but that will also say good things about your approach/attitude

just before/once you landed you can PM me - good luck!

[Rhino1]

I know a Mechanical Engineer that's been unemployed for over a year. He is Australian University qualified and applies for jobs on a continuous basis. His circumstances may be unique (years experience, area of specialty) whilst he is also located in Adelaide where industry is shrinking at the moment. Best is to check with potential employers, employment agencies and look at job adverts to see if your field of engineering is in high demand. Choose your City carefully as well...

[HansaPlease]

I don't suppose anybody can comment on good cities for mechanical engineers?

[Shellfish]

Our neighbour is an engineer (sorry, I can't remember which kind at the moment) but many of his colleagues have been let go and he is currently working 9 day a fortnight. If he loses his job, he said he will return to the UK rather than look for another job here because there is nothing.

[Pell]

Six months in, my husband, an engineer, has not found work. He has many years of experience, Masters and MBAs and still nothing. He has sent out over 200 applications, several well below his skills and experience level, just to "get ta foot in the door", so to speak. Rejected every time, with the excuse "Too qualified" or "No Australian experience". Very disheartening for him, no surprise that he has not considered out time here a success...

[Nallan]

Hi

From my perspective I find that there are jobs in Australia but they many not necessarily be the same type of jobs that are in demand in South Africa. In South Africa I could walk into a job anytime I wanted but here my job is not demand. My wife struggled to find work in SA but here she is in demand and she loves the attention . Sometimes I think - just look for jobs not exactly 100% in your field and hope someone gives you a chance and volunteer if you have to.

If you compete with India and the Asian countries in areas like IT and Finance or Engineering(?) its very difficult. However areas that require good communication skills are usually where you can get in.

[Shell]

Interesting to see responses.

Thanks for posting Lissaness.

I have posted in "settling in" regarding lack of opportunities for engineers. But I thought that was just us being unlucky in Australia.

We flew back to Adelaide yesterday after being in Perth for the day. Went for our USA work visa interview - visas granted! Don't know what we would have done if rejected.

Cabby who drove us to Perth CBD - out of work mechanical engineer. Retrenched Dec 2014. Can't find work in his profession.

Had our passport photos taken at our local post office in Adelaide Hills that shares premises with an Oporto. Explained why we were moving. She points to a man behind Oporto takeaway counter. Guess what? Another out of work engineer. Flipping burgers to make a living.

We are definitely making the right choice to move.

You see on TV how China is buying vast chunks of Australia. It also allows them to bring in their own (much cheaper) workforce.

For me, Australia's future isn't looking too rosey.

[Odendaal]

Hmmm thanks for the responses everyone...

Not very positive outlook I see haha.

The plan for us is to obtain our visas and then look for employment. Once one of us lands a job (I've heard Skype interviews are becoming the norm?), we'll leave SA.

I'm just hoping that finding a job won't be too tough.

Since we are quite young and don't have children, we don't have a problem with working outside of our professions and earning less than what we are used to, initially.

By the way, is that legal?

[AFreshStart]

Since we are quite young and don't have children, we don't have a problem with working outside of our professions and earning less than what we are used to, initially.

By the way, is that legal?

It depends on what VISA you are granted.

If you are granted a 189 you are PR and green lit to change your area of employment, not so easy with a 190, 457 or others which have stipulations that have to be adhered to.

Hope that helps.

Matt

[LeonH]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering, do you feel that all disciplines of engineering are badly affected by the downturn? I am a civil engineer and judging by the job sites there would seem to be plenty of vacancies in my field. Of course this doesn't tell you how competitive the market is...

Any civil engineers out there who can comment on the state of the industry in various cities?

[Odendaal]

Thanks Matt, we are applying for the 189 and hoping that we recieve it by the end of this year!

[BrendanH]

It depends on what VISA you are granted...not so easy with a 190, 457 or others which have stipulations that have to be adhered to.

As a matter of interest what stipulations are those on a 190? As far as we are aware there are no conditions to our Visa.

[AFreshStart]

BAandH,

A 190 VISA is a State sponsored VISA, you have been given in an invite from that State to find employment within your chosen field based on your skills assement. As such you are obligated to see out a minimum duration within that time, typically 2-years.

If you were hired as a mechanical engineer in South Australia, you are obligated to work there for 2-years before moving on.

If you arrive and there is no work, you can't just get up and leave and move to another State, which you can do with a 189.

The benefits of PR are the same, but the caveat if the 190 is location dependent.

Cheers

Matt

[g26130]

My father in law was a mechanical engineer. He was retrenched about 10 years ago and never found work again. I'm electrical and my company is planning to retrench over 1000 staff. 100 of them will probably be engineers.

On the other hand, the Australian Navy has been constantly looking for engineers.

[ottg]

the Australian Navy has been constantly looking for engineers.

Most positions advertised are entry level graduates.

You will need a security clearance before you applying for jobs through companies like BAE Systems working on defense contracts. However the only way to get a security clearance is to be allocated to an existing project.

Mmm...... catch 22 - it benefit those already on defense contracts.

[Jordy]

I have just returned from a holiday to earthquake striken Christschurch NZ. The city is demolition site...very shocked to see it. 40% of the city is being or must be demolished. after 5 years they are finally getting round to rebuilding the city. I commented to my wife that there must be a massive shortage of engineers for all that work that is needed. Have you considered New Zealand.

This literally what half the city looks like in July 2015

[ottg]

From the latest report from Eng Aus:

"In August, the Australian general labour market saw a rise as demonstrated in Figure 1. General vacancies were up 0.2% in August after falls of 0.5% in June and 0.2% in July. Professional vacancies continued to rise up 0.8% for the month of August, following on from rises of 0.7% in June and 0.9% in July.

Figure 2 demonstrates the monthly changes in vacancies for engineers in the states and territories over the past three months.

........Movements in vacancies provide broad indications about the direction in which labour market changes are heading"

http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/Resources/vacancies_for_engineers_sep_2015.pdf

[LBW]

My friends a civil engineer and has ended up on the mines for a few years. He managed to branch out into project management just as they laid off a lot of engineers. He says a lot of Aussies engineers are heading to Asia and the Phillipines for jobs. It is looking bleak.

I heard mechanical engineering opportunities were increasing in Brisbane?

[ottg]

I have just read an informative article The Future of Engineering by Tim Kannegieter (July 2015). (Not sure if you will be able to see but put up a link below)

The entire engineering landscape, market, market forces and therefore opportunities are changing globally. Quote:

"The pressure driving the transformation of Australian engineering is coming from both internal and external sources. Internally, the supply of engineering work in Australia has dramatically plunged......Engineers Australia tracks national vacancies and in April [2015] said there were 2327 engineering vacancies. By comparison, during the previous trough at the depths of the GFC, there were 4396 vacancies for engineers and this was followed by a post-GFC peak of 9125 in January 2012. These figures are dwarfed by the peak of 12,951 vacancies in the pre-GFC period (September 2008)....One issue is that many engineers in Australia who started work 10, 15 or even 20 years ago have never really experienced a downtown in the infrastructure sector,” he said....Externally, the pressures have been arising from dramatically increased international competition, more than we have ever seen in the past. What is different now is that it is not just the economic cycles in Australia that affect the engineering industry. Downturns in other parts of the world are now driving an increasing number of contractors to Asia and Australia in desperate search of new geographical markets.

“As markets shrink internationally and financial pressures hit, people look around to other markets. There is no doubt the competition from foreign companies is much greater now. The reality is that, having established a foothold here, they’re not going to leave even when their economy rebounds in their home countries. That’s just the nature of global competition now.”

http://engineersaustralia.realviewtechnologies.com/#folio=42

Edited October 3, 2015 by ottg

[ottg]

There is light at the end of the tunnel with a major shift towards infrastructure thus mechanical and civil engineering

This article: Eastern States Lead Engineering Jobs Recovery

https://sourceable.net/eastern-states-lead-engineering-jobs-recovery/#

I believe this is only the start of good things to happen!

[springmielie]

My daughter is a mechanical engineer at a consulting firm in Brisbane. Their office doubled in size within a year. My friend's son just graduated from QUT and is struggling to find work, it could also be the fact that he's got no experience.

[ottg]

If he joins Engineers Australia as a graduate member he can access the graduate employment portal

https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/connect

Noted current opportunities at Ausipile in Queensland, Point8 Pty Ltd, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited

[monsta]

You always have to go where the work is. A software engineer isn't going to find many good jobs in a small place like Tawoomba.

[Atjan]

Wow....reading this topic has not been good for my enthusiasm. I'm an industrial engineer and looking on the job sites it seems this is not a very popular qualification in Australia.

Any other industrial engineers out there and know if there are opportunities? Most of my experience is in manufacturing/engineering industry.

[ottg]

Not necessarily - go where the jobs are! This report is handy to get an overview of the economics in each state (has many different purposes)

https://www.commsec.com.au/stateofstates

I'm sure you aware of the local manufacturing groups on Linkedin. Join the conversation, add value and then ask/read where the movements are in the market.