2014 for HR Advisers in ACT

[Bilal]

Hey fellas,

HR Adviser was taken off from High Demand list of South Australia and Western Australia in November 13 whilst its maintained on ACT or Northern Territory SNOL.

But unfortunately, I don't get to see a lot of positive chat on job opportunities in Canberra.So what is it gona be for future immigrants in ACT.

 

May be some of you who have been thru this could put some guidelines for the current HR Adviser applicants aiming to land there in 2014.

 

What to expect and what not in terms of finding work and settling there?

 

Cheers

[Quoll]

Hey fellas,

HR Adviser was taken off from High Demand list of South Australia and Western Australia in November 13 whilst its maintained on ACT or Northern Territory SNOL.

But unfortunately, I don't get to see a lot of positive chat on job opportunities in Canberra.So what is it gona be for future immigrants in ACT.

 

May be some of you who have been thru this could put some guidelines for the current HR Adviser applicants aiming to land there in 2014.

 

What to expect and what not in terms of finding work and settling there?

 

Cheers

Not great at the moment and I would think local HR bods are a dime a dozen especially with APS economies. TBH I'm astonished it's still on the list but, then, ACT's list has habitually borne little resemblance to job vacancies. Fewer people want to move to NT, that might be a better option.

[stamples]

I would recommend 'proceed with absolute caution' at this time.

 

I was state sponsored and went to Canberra mid 2011 - the market seemed relatively buoyant as I had several job offers in a few weeks and accepted one. Amazingly the skill level I was sponsored for wasn't what the market needed, it was my breadth of experience that led me to work easily. 've been monitoring the HR jobs market since and I can honestly say, the market has never been anywhere near the same since. I was very fortunate and enjoyed a few roles in Canberra, but most other HR professionals I know there were forced to do other work, lots of HR talent around, very few opportunities.

 

Not only has the new government meant even fewer jobs open to non-citizens, (you need to be aware that if you are not a citizen - which most new emigrants aren't for around the first 5 years), your job possibilities will be very limited and competition fierce - estimates are that only around 5-10% of jobs generally are available to non-citizens - this is because most professional jobs in Canberra require 'security clearance' and that can usually only be available to citizens. The few exceptions there are tend to be individuals with specialist skills, not related to HR.

 

A real sign of the market constriction was that only a year ago, friends who wanted to rent a unit were in competition with 25 other families for the one home, recently I rented my place out and there were 31 properties for rent in my small area (suburb equivalent) alone on the market for rental. When we'd looked for a small place to purchase in 2011, there were approx. 8-12 properties in the entire ACT/Queanbeyan region in our price range, a few months ago there were 361 for sale, many of those selling for much less than when I purchased.

 

I hope this doesn't sound pessimistic, but times are genuinely hard and it's worth knowing that before taking the plunge and potentially being tied to a geographical area that might not enable your family to settle easily. One friend, a professional, had to literally 'dig trenches' for nearly 3 years before finding a job for their sponsored skill, another has had to move to Perth for work, leaving behind the family in Canberra, partner then found work in Brisbane and the commute of 4,400km from Perth to Brisbane until a local job is found is no picnic for everyone!

 

I do know of a HR professional from Perth recently getting work in Darwin, after seeking work in around WA for nearly 2 years, so be prepared to work hard at it and potentially make sacrifices (and you family may have to too) if your Australian dream means that much to you. All the best, wherever you end up!