Australia Tries To Steal Kiwi Workers

Link: Computerworld > Australia will target NZ IT skills as shortages worsen.

I haven't been writing much recently, a real symptom of being insanely busy and the huge candidate shortage. The above article talks about how the candidate shortage is so great in Australia for IT workers that they are trying to target NZ as a recruiting ground. Not a silly idea I would say, although in my experience NZ IT workers who are here actually want to be here for reasons other than just money, if they were ready to move offshore in most cases they have already gone. Interestingly they mention Canberra as a place where they need people. I'm not surprised really, if you've been to Canberra you'd know there are about 300 other places in Australia you'd rather move to first. Wonder if that's got something to do with the "shortage".

Comments

[Paul Jacobs]

Good to see you back on the blogging scene Steven. I lived and worked as a consultant in Canberra for about 8 months in the mid-late 90s. Sorry to say this, but I loved it. I guess different strokes for different folks. Unfortunately most tourists only go to the CBD which back then seemed to lack any soul and was a bit run down - except for a mix of great Thai restaurants and some good English-style pubs. I lived across the lake in the suburb of Kingston and it was quite beautiful with the occasional kangaroo in the neighbourhood and great bird life (of the feathered kind). Summer was hot and winter reminded me of growing up in ChCh - it too is relatively close to the mountains. Kingtson and the neighbouring suburbs had a good mix of cafes etc. They are even passionate about rugby union.

One thing I noticed was the large number of IT recruitment agencies per capita in Canberra, compared to when I arrived back in Welly.

Some of the more proactive Wellington-based recruitment agencies advertise for policy people in Canberra and go over to interview potentials - and of course they have some multi-nationals working in both NZ and Canberra. So I guess it works both ways - the world is getting smaller. I also notice the occasional NZ agency advertising for roles in Canberra.

Cheers, Paul

[Steven Kempton]

Maybe that was my mistake as well when I visited. Still I'd prefer the water in Sydney and the general atmosphere of Melbourne first.