Employment markets in Brisbane and Melbourne in Finance?

[WayneAndMel]

I've been reading a lot of posts on the wider forum about how many of immigrants with skills in programming or certain I.T. related fields have found it quite difficult to get employment. I've searched a bit about the experiences of immigrants working in Finance but haven't come across anything - so I apologise if the following questions have been asked before and already answered and if so ask if there is a link or place to search for such an older post(s)?

 

So barring that, does anyone have a sense of what the condition of the job or employment markets for Finance related positions are in Brisbane and Melbourne?  By Finance my scope of reference is for a worker with a degree in accounting and similarly means roles that can range from being within accounting firms to banks to general commerce but are all within companies own Finance (or very similar) department(s). 

 

My own bent is also away from a traditional bean counter or being a high flying hot shot in financial trading/engineering with banks if that influences the answer. I instead lean strongly more towards a Finance-IT-Projects backend skill set and my current role seems to match closely to what is called a Financial Analyst in the Australian job market. However if I have to become a financial accountant again or change into another role I will consider it seriously.

 

The reason I ask is that at the end of the day I may fall in love with one city on my LSD trip in June but need to follow the job market as one can't live on good feelings and sunshine alone - as many have strongly pointed out here repeatedly. 

 

So given that I am admittedly favouring Brisbane at the outset while Mel seems comfortable with either Brisbane or Melbourne the reality is that even if our desires are confirmed if the jobs for us are in Melbourne or Sydney we do have to ultimately change course. 

 

 

 

  

[Mara]

My guess is, and it is only a guess, that there would be many more opportunities for you in Melbourne than in Brisbane. At this stage, in order to establish yourselves and try to recover from the high costs of landing and starting over, it may well be a good idea to think of settling in Melbourne. Once you have settled, found a job and recovered somewhat, then you can always check out Brisbane and if you really want to move there, start chasing jobs. At least then you would have the opportunity to easily go for interviews, move your stuff, and have much more information at hand.

 

If it wasn't for the humidity, we would probably still be living in Brisbane, as that is where we first settled when we arrived in Australia in August 1997. However, by November we knew that the weather was not for us, and by January 1998 we were living in Melbourne and have been here ever since I may add my husband was raised in Durban, and it was at his instigation that we moved to Melbourne.

[Guest]

I would also second Melbourne and not just because I live here but I just know that there are far more opportunities here than Brisbane. This isn't to suggest you wouldn't find work in Brisbane in your related field but you are more likely to find it here. As Mara suggested you can always move later, but for now the priority should be to find work and get your local experience. Once you have that then you have more choices later on. Also check SEEK to see the amount of jobs are listed compared to other states. This will give you an indication of the amount of jobs available in that field.

[Sunnyskies]

If you want to work in Brisbane then probably try and do what Dora's husband achieved and try and get a job from SA.  If that doesn't work out then Melbourne/Sydney are better bets (for the reasons stated above).

 

It is not that there are not finance jobs in Brisbane, but there are far fewer positions advertised.  However, having said that, I also know that often employers in Brisbane struggle to find suitable candidates as they are all down in Sydney & Melbourne, so you may be lucky if you apply indicating that you are wishing to settle in Brisbane.

 

I am one of many people that moved to Brisbane for work after living in Melbourne for a number of years, and when I talk to people here there are many, many people who now live in Brisbane who didn't originally come from here.

[WayneAndMel]

Thanks all. I noticed on SEEK Melbourne has around 3 to 4 times the number of positions Brisbane has for each related role, regardless of how I flex my search criteria. Brisbane has some but the numbers do give me some doubt.

 

Thanks with the humidity comparison @Mara. The environment does play a role too so I'm hoping my LSD trip being in winter will give me an idea about Melbourne's cold as well. . Granted it's not the best time to assess Brisbane's humidity.