The Skills in High Demand in Australia

Whether it’s calling one of the world’s most liveable cities home (hello Melbourne), exploring some of the most famous skylines (hi Sydney) or losing yourself (not literally we hope) in the stunning job opportunities in the outback, Australia offers a lot to potential new Aussies.

If you’ve got the skills and experience Australia needs then you could be moving, living, working and playing there soon. See if your skills are in demand in Australia.

About the Skilled Occupation List (SOL)

The SOL is updated regularly to reflect the changing needs of Australia. You need to nominate an occupation on the SOL if you’re applying for:

• Independent points-based skilled migration and you’re not nominated by a state or territory government agency – this is SkillSelect
• A Family Sponsored Points Tested visa
• A Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) – Graduate Work stream

About SkillSelect

SkillSelect is how Australia chooses which applicants to invite to apply for a visa. To apply you submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) online. You’ll then go into a pool of other applicants where you’ll be ranked on things like your work experience, skills, age and language abilities.

Depending on your ranking in the pool of applicants, you may then be invited to apply for a visa.

Find out more about SkillSelect.

The skills on the SOL

There are currently 191 occupations on the SOL. If you need a skills assessment as part of your visa application, you need to contact the assessing authority directly to get this. They will provide all the necessary forms and information you need and there will be a cost for this.

View the SOL, along with details of the relevant assessing authorities.

The Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL)

If you’re applying for a visa under these programs:

• Points-based skilled migration and you’re nominated by a state or territory government agency under a State Migration Plan
• The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS), and you’ve been nominated by an Australian employer to fill a position in an occupation that appears in the CSOL
• The Temporary Work (Skilled) visa – subclass 457
• The Training and Research visa (subclass 402)

You need to find your occupation on the CSOL, not the SOL.

View the current CSOL.

Get help with your Australian visa

To help you through the Australian visa process, you can:

• Check out the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s website, which has details of all the options available to you.
• Get expert assistance from registered immigration advisers.

You can also start searching for your new job today – good luck!

Latest skill shortages in New Zealand

Hays quarterly report has highlighted the occupations that are most in demand in New Zealand. The most recent report, covering April – June 2013, shows that tradesmen continue to be needed as the Christchurch rebuild picks up pace and other professions joining the demand include accountancy and IT professionals.

New Zealand is on the hunt for skilled, experienced professionals with at least a few years’ work experience under their belts (rather than recent graduates or students) in the following areas:

Accountancy and finance – commerce and industry

• Senior Payroll Consultants/Payroll Managers
• Payroll Officers
• Credit Control – candidates with the proven ability to maintain a strong relationship with a client or a customer whilst successfully collecting monies owed are in constant demand.
• Accounts Payable – there’s a high demand for skilled and experienced Accounts Payable Processors, in particular in temporary and contract positions, as organisations look to maintain their invoice processing.
• Assistant Accountants
• Financial Analysts
• Company Accountants – candidates who have a large scope of skills and abilities and who can take on varied roles are in demand as more companies restructure or absorb roles.
• Financial Accountants – technical candidates, who can work through year end and month end, especially at this time of year, are in high demand.
• Manufacturing Accountants – there is a high demand for skills in the manufacturing sector. Because it is such a specialist industry, the background in this sector is essential for most candidates. Therefore, there is a shortage of candidates in this area.
• Auditors (Professional Practice) – these candidates are always going overseas or joining the commercial realm, which is creating a shortage in this space.
• Internal Audit – this is notoriously a high-demand area as these candidates require a very “different” blend of skills.

Accountancy and finance – professional practice

• Business Advisory Services Intermediates – in demand at all intermediate, senior and manager levels.
• Manager and Senior – as corporate businesses start ramping up due to the Christchurch rebuild they are asking for more advisory services, for example, cash flow forecasting, tax advice, financial modelling, and it’s the Senior and Managers that can provide this advice.
• Intermediates – with the Seniors and Managers time being absorbed in doing more ‘advisory’ work there is demand for Intermediate Accountants to do more compliance work.
• BAS – demand is particularly high for candidates from big firms as they have big client experience.
• Audit
• Tax – many candidates leave tax before reaching Manager or Assistant Manager level, leaving this area candidate short at the upper levels.

Architecture

• Architectural Technicians (2+ years) (ArchiCAD)
• Project Architects (10+ years)
• Architectural Technicians (2+ years) Revit

Construction

• Quantity Surveyors
• Estimators
• Civil Site Engineers
• Intermediate Quantity Surveyors
• Supervisors and Engineers – particularly for those supervisors and engineers with tunnelling experience demand is high, as is being experienced globally.
• UFB Supervisors – the UFB rollout across the country has seen high demand supervisors capable of managing multiple crews across multiple locations.

Energy

• Glove and Barrier Line Mechanics
• Cable Jointers – due to this trade recently becoming a stand-alone skilled profession in New Zealand the industry has a shortfall of experienced 33kv and above Cable Jointers on the distribution and transmission network.
• Protection Technicians
• Lines
• Substation Engineers – Substation Engineers with local network experience and an understanding of industry standards and regulations are in demand.

Engineering

• Structural Engineering – these candidates continue to be in demand from mature graduate to senior level. The high level of building assessments and strengthening projects taking place nationally, Christchurch rebuild and ongoing local refurbishment and new build project work across the country has created an even bigger shortage for Structural Engineers. Engineering Consultancies are requesting BEng qualified, preferable within New Zealand based on NZ design codes and local Seismic design awareness is preferred with CPEng qualified being very desirable to sign off on projects.
• Civil Engineering Design (Transport, Water & Infrastructure) – Civil Engineers with five-plus years experience in design and project management are always in demand.
• Geotechnical Engineers – Geotechnical Engineers with NZ bachelor degrees and anything from three years experience are always in demand in Wellington. A particular demand for senior Geotechnical engineers with 10+ years experience and NZ CPEng has been seen over the last year, as these are the rarest in the market and almost every consultancy in NZ would be interested in interviewing this type of candidate.
• Land Surveyors

IT

• Senior Network Engineer
• Senior Systems Engineer – a high volume of project-based work lasting between 12-18 months is driving the demand for Senior System Engineer willing to take on contract employment.
• Database Administrator – particularly within SQL, Database Administrators are in short supply. Solid ETL and report/cube building skills (SSIS, SSRS and SSAS) are in highest demand.
• SharePoint Developer

Insurance

• Brokers – these candidates are in demand within the F&G commercial space at the intermediate, senior and management levels across the country both in major cities and in regional areas.
• Underwriters – there is some recruitment in the F&G space both in regional and main cities as candidates relocate and employers backfill vacancies where staff have moved on.
• Loss Adjustors and Worker Compensation Officers – Australian companies are advertising in New Zealand for Loss Adjustors, Worker Compensation Officers and Underwriters as they endeavour to attract candidates with excellent training and work ethic, creating a shortage in New Zealand.

Legal

• Senior Lawyers – candidates with major firm experience who offer a transferable client base are in demand as firms seek to develop their practices again after a holding pattern.
• Senior Commercial, Property and General Practitioners – candidates with small to medium-sized firm experience are sought.
• Commercial Solicitors – with solicitors preferring big firm experience or usually working for the larger regional firms there is a shortage of candidates in the commercial space.
• Banking and Finance Solicitors – employers are in particular looking for candidates with major firm experience.

Property

• Building Surveyors – with a large volume of continuing work in Christchurch and across the country, demand for skilled Building Surveyors with local experience is high.
• Quantity Surveyors – similar to the market for Building Surveyors, Quantity Surveyors with local experience are in high demand with the large volumes of work taking place in Christchurch.
• Intermediate Property Managers

Sales and marketing

• Category Management, Market Research and Technical Sales
• Business Development Managers and Sales Managers
• Digital Marketers, PR and Communications – employers are favouring commercially-orientated candidates, as marketing budgets increase along with the need to demonstrate a measurable return on investment. Capable Digital Marketers are in demand on both the client and agency side.

Trades and labour

• Excavator Operators/Drain Layers/Asphalt Layers/Drivers – Christchurch
• Carpenter/Painter/Plasterer/Tiler/Scaffolder – Christchurch

Got the skills and experience New Zealand needs?

Head to Working In New Zealand to search for jobs and employers currently looking overseas to recruit.

Please note: this is intended as a general guide to skill shortages currently being felt throughout New Zealand and do not represent specific job vacancies specifically suitable for overseas candidates.

Top 10 hot jobs sectors in Canada for UK jobseekers

UK unemployment figures for April 2013 revealed that 2.56 million people were out of work – 7.9 per cent of the working population. Many people are looking elsewhere for job opportunities and because other European countries continue to have their own unemployment problems, increasingly jobseekers are turning their attention to North America and in particular pursuing job vacancies in Canada.

Specific sectors of the Canadian job market are experiencing growth and it is these areas that are attracting skilled UK workers.

Energy

With 2.3 projected job openings for every jobseeker by 2020, job vacancies in Canada for mining, oil and gas supervisors are likely to be most in demand, particularly in the oil-rich areas such as Fort McMurray in Alberta.

Construction

One of the fastest growing job markets in the country, Canada is in need of able construction workers, especially welders and electricians, and construction managers. As a result of the current shortage of skilled labour, Canadian immigration has been targeting British workers.

Information technology

Technology continues to advance rapidly and jobs in IT are plentiful for those with the right knowledge and up to date skills. Online business and industry specialist Canadian Business ranks software engineers and computer engineers among the top 30 jobs in 2013 in terms of projected growth and salary levels of employees.

Manufacturing

Although some types of manufacturing have seen a decline in recent years, there are plenty of job vacancies in Canada for those in engineering, including aerospace engineers, civil engineers, mechanical engineers and industrial technicians.

Catering

Canada is a popular tourist destination – in 2011 there were 15.6 million international visitors and the UK represented Canada’s largest inbound overseas market. For this reason, jobs in catering in hotels and restaurants are popular among British workers.

Leisure and hospitality

Linked to the growing hospitality industry, foreign workers often are able to find jobs with a difference as skiing instructors in the Canadian Rockies or at the country’s most popular resort in Whistler, British Columbia.

Railways

Jobs for railway and transportation supervisors already feature in the Canadian Business list of top 50 jobs and the number of vacancies is set to increase in 2020, when there will be 1.24 job openings for everyone seeking employment in the field.

Health services

Head nurses and healthcare managers are second on the list of the current top 50 jobs and by 2020 they are still in the frame with qualified candidates very much in demand. People who are trained dental hygienists will also fare well in terms of both immediate and projected requirements.

Education

Surprisingly, teaching is not a transferable occupation, as Canadian regulations require certification from the province in which a teaching vacancy is advertised. This means foreign teachers have to retrain at a Canadian university to be able to teach. However, jobs in education administration at all levels are predicted to grow and are well paid.

Entrepreneurs

In January this year the Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister, Jason Kenney, announced a new programme to recruit innovative immigrant entrepreneurs to help stimulate the economy. The new Start-Up Visa Program supports skilled individuals to set up their own businesses, providing lots of opportunities for imaginative entrepreneurs in many different fields.

This article was contributed by Jobmanji – a  job search engine in Canada. 

Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the news

Watch out for the power cable climbing possums in New Zealand

Here’s the latest news – with an industry and immigration focus where possible – from Canada, Australia and New Zealand:

Canada: skill shortages and immigration

A lot of Canadian news has been about their critical skill shortages, being felt by a range of industries. For example, in British Columbia they’re enjoying plenty of shipbuilding contracts, new liquefied natural gas plants and a booming mining sector. All great – apart from the fact there won’t be enough trained workers to fill the expected jobs surge.

According to Canadian Business:

“The government is projecting that among the one million job openings expected by 2020, 43 per cent will require skilled workers. It predicts there will be a gap of 22,000 to 32,000 people in northern B.C. [British Columbia] alone.”

These fears have been echoed on a national level with the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, Diane Finley, taking the stage at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Annual General Meeting to deliver a keynote speech about how to tackle Canada’s skills and labour crisis.

As part of a government initiative to discover the Top 10 barriers to Canadian Competitiveness came four key priorities identified by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. One of these priorities should be immigration – and specifically “ensuring immigration policy is aligned with local labour markets and employers’ needs”.

Read the full Top 10 barriers to Canadian Competitiveness report here.

Australia: positivity in jobs and migration

Coming off the back of the good news that Australian job vacancies have risen 4.2% in August 2012 was a report released by the International Monetary Fund showing that flexibility in the workforce will help Australia to ride out other global economic storms.

The report also identifies that temporary and permanent skilled migration will be vital so that workers can move across regions and industries:

“Their ability to do so will again be tested when investment in the resources sector comes off its peak and some labour currently employed there is to be absorbed by the rest of the economy.”

The full report can be viewed here.

New Zealand: pies and possums

It’s been a light-hearted news week in New Zealand, with a couple of ‘only in New Zealand’ moments.

This includes a pie-lover on a mission to restore a classic piece of the Kiwi culinary scene – the Georgie Pie. Apparently these tasty delicacies are unlikely to comply with today’s standards for fat and salt content. See the New Zealand Herald for more.

The culprit of a blackout across Gisborne in New Zealand’s north island has been found – a possum inadvertently climbing a power pylon. Makes a change from someone accidentally cutting through a cable at least…

What is FIFO?

Fly in Fly Out – or FIFO as it is more commonly referred to – is a method of employing people for remote country locations which is very commonly used in Western Australia. As an alternative to relocating entire families to often remote locations, the employee is flown to the work site for a number of days, and then flown home again.

Why FIFO?

Employers prefer their workers to be FIFO as the cost of transporting employees to site is far less than it would be to build, maintain and develop long term communities. Employees may prefer the FIFO opportunity as their families are often reluctant to relocate to small towns in remote areas.

What should I expect?

Mine Workers in Australia

Rosters dictate how long you are on site, and how long you are home. Most rosters offered are 4 weeks on site and 1 week at home – 4:1 however these rosters vary depending on the project and the site.

Usually a FIFO position involves working a shift of 10 hours each day for a number of continuous days. When on site, you will be supplied with all meals, accommodation, house-keeping – some camps also offer swimming pools, tennis courts, gyms, cable TV and unlimited internet as a way of attracting and retaining skilled staff.

Read on for more on what’s driving the industry here in Australia and how you can get your FIFO job: