Job prospects during the Australian recession

Employment in Oz

There is a post on the expat forum entitled “Australia job recession news” which offers a very interesting and informative read for anybody looking to move to Australia in the short to medium term. While there is no country in the world which has escaped the impact of the ongoing worldwide recession there are a number of interesting and differing opinions as to what is happening in the Australian employment market and what could happen in the short to medium term. It would appear that in many ways things are not what you might expect them to be!

Expats in Australia

Australia has been one of the more popular expat markets over the last few years with particularly strong links with the UK and an evolving economy which is attracting more and more interest from businesses and those looking for employment. For a country which is literally in the middle of the sea it has created a very strong presence in the worldwide market although at this moment in time many expats are having difficulty finding employment.

The Australian employment market

It is interesting to see that many people have picked up on the significantly reduced number of employment positions being advertised across the more popular Australian newspapers. It would appear from a survey issued at the turn of 2009 that there has been a 50% drop in the number of employment positions advertised across the Australian newspaper industry. Historically this tallies with data from past recessions which also showed a similar drop in newspaper advertising, although many feel that the ongoing recession may have further to go.

While the situation is very different from state to state we have seen significant falls across the country and an increase in unemployment to 4.3% with many suggesting this will rise to 4.6% in the short term. Interestingly there has also been a fall in Internet related employment positions although this is significantly lower than that seen in the more traditional employment market.

Delays in immigration documentation

Rather perversely, a number of people are reporting significant delays in the production of the documentation required to gain entry to Australia although this could in fact play into the hands of those waiting for the big move. Even though there is some confusion as to how long the economic downturn will last in both Australia and around the world as a whole, the longer your immigration documentation is delayed the more chance (in theory) that the economy will have turned around.

Also, a number of people are also seemingly delaying their move to Australia until they have found permanent positions in the country and are able to ensure, as much as you can, that these are secure.

Redundancy numbers on the increase

There is a fair amount of discussion of the post with regards to recent redundancies announced across a number of industries and the reasons behind these moves. While there is obviously a great impact from the downturn in the economy there is a feeling in many industries that the economic slowdown has given employers a chance to get rid of “dead wood”. While this is possibly a little unfair towards the employers of Australia there have been similar indications in other countries around the world. It would appear that some of the stronger companies are actually using this as an excuse to refine and refocus their workforce at the expense of those who were perhaps not as productive as others.

The IT industry

While the more basic industries, such as the food sector, do not appear to have been hit as hard as some of the more “luxurious” sectors, there is much discussion about the strength of the IT sector in general. There is a belief that the IT sector is one which will suffer less than the vast majority of other industries in Australia and there is also a belief that this is a sector which will bounce back quicker than most.

Interestingly, even though there have been redundancies in the IT sector a number of posters on the thread have indicated that while it may have taken a little more time than 12 months ago, many have been able to find jobs in the sector. This is not to say that competition is not intense, because it is, but there are jobs there and those who are able to move to Australia with a strong IT background may stand a good chance of finding employment in a fairly short space of time.

The future of Australia

Australia will continue to attract a significant number of overseas workers because of the culture, the lifestyle and the relatively strong economy compared to many around the world. However, there is no doubt that the country is suffering, along with the rest of the world, and the economy has taken a pounding over the last few months. A number of posters are suggesting that employment positions are still out there even though it may take a little longer to find them although others are suggesting that this will change in the short term as the economy weakens further.

There is much mention of the IT sector in the thread, with suggestions that this is perhaps the strongest and safest sector of the Australian economy, although a rumour that IBM is looking to lose 15,000 staff worldwide could have an impact upon the wider Australian IT market.

Conclusion

There is no escaping the fact that every country around the world is suffering from the worldwide decline in economic activity and we are seeing unemployment in general moving significantly higher. There is also a feeling that we have not yet hit the bottom of the economic cycle which will impact upon each and every country around the world, including Australia. However, there appears to be an underlying strength to the Australian economy with a number of posters on the thread suggesting that jobs are still there but they may take longer to find, which is very encouraging for the long-term.

It would be wrong to say that the short to medium term outlook for Australia is attractive, because it isn’t, but there is no doubt there is an underlying strength to the Australian economy and the country continues to attract thousands of overseas workers each and every year, something that appears unlikely to change in the short, medium or long term.

Related posts:

1. Is Australia as prosperous as many people would have you believe?
2. Is the Australian immigration process fair?
3. The truth about job prospects in Dubai
4. Moving to Australia, so many questions!
5. Prospects of employment in New Zealand

Tagged as: Australia