And no, it’s not just because you have been living in London for the last five years or are fresh from a New York winter and your skin isn’t up to it.
It’s because, if you don’t have a job lined up already, your beach time could blow out to well beyond the end of swimming weather if you are not careful.
Summer in Oz is peak return time for Aussies who have had lives and careers overseas.
While it’s a great time to re-connect with friends and buy a case of mangos it’s a terrible time to start looking for a job. Or to talk about a job. Or to find anyone who cares about their job let alone a job for you.
A common mistake I see repats-expats make is returning to Australia with a plan to spend a couple of weeks on a beach and to start thinking about a job in the new year.
Like the fact that summer bodies are made in winter, February-March jobs are often made in October-November. So, you can do the maths if you have a February standing start date.
The reality is the Australian job market can be extremely challenging for Australians who have spent a long time living and working overseas. Recently returned expats are often shocked at how long it can take to get a job back home.
Last year we surveyed Australian expats from more than 30 countries about their experiences with the job market.
Of those who had returned, nearly 60% found the process of finding a job difficult with 36% saying they found the experience extremely difficult. Finding a job is also taking longer. 42% found a job in three months, compared to 54% in 2022, with 30% taking 6-12 months and 21% taking more than a year.
We try and help returnees to not be shocked, and key to this, is understanding the market you are re-entering into and the work you need to do to position yourself for your next gig.
So, why is it so hard?
The challenges faced by Australian expat returning to the Australian job market have not changed since the survey was last conducted two years ago, despite the record job vacancies and skills shortages of 2022 and 2023. This is largely because Australian hiring practices and the experiences of Australian expats with the local job market have not changed.
Often hirers and recruiters not only preference local over international experience but can consider an expat’s time overseas as ‘being out of the market’. Australian expats can sometimes assume their international experience will be recognised, only to find hirers struggling to understand how their experience would work in an Australian context. This is even harder for Australian expats who have worked with brands, organisations or even in industries that don’t have a presence in Australia.
Expats are often told that their overseas skills are not valued. One survey respondent was told that they were overqualified, lacked local networks and were a potential retention risk. Other expats eventually find the right recruiters and connections, but the sentiment is that it takes a lot of time.
Popular expat destinations like the United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong are large, regional markets so often repats are trying to retro-fit big careers back into a much smaller market. Many returnees have to pivot, change their approach or re-ignite old networks to find an ‘in’ and all of this takes time.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Australian expats planning to return are learning from these experiences and are taking the time to get prepared before they pack the beach towel. 56% of survey respondents who want a job on their return are taking one to two years to prepare.
But even the well-prepared Australian expats face an uphill battle with hirers and recruiters often greeting early phone calls with ‘let’s talk when you get home’. 45% of expats said they proactively engaged recruiters while still overseas, but the negative experiences were double the positive.
What can I do?
If I have just made you choke on your mango Weiss bar, I apologise. But there are some things you can do from your beach towel.
- Learn from the experiences of others. We released the Australian Expat Career report in October 2024. In it, are the experiences and learnings of others. You can also sign up to our free monthly newsletter which includes a monthly jobs report on the Australian market. And together with also listening to our podcast, these are the ‘desktop researchy things’ you can still do from your beach towel to get the ‘vibe’ of the Australian job market.
- Start to think about and get clear on what you want. Pop your iPad in your beach bag and spend some time writing down the roles, industry and job/organisation size that you think you could be interested in. Think about your future conversations with recruiters and remember – they are not career coaches. They are more likely to respond to you if you have done the thinking first. If you need a kick start, I run a free monthly webinar that will get you started.
- Map out your current network. So many Australian expats come home and find they have outdated or non-existent networks. But networking Aussie style, means you can find your networks where you least expect it…if you are prepared to put yourself out there. Start with who you know. People want to help, but often they don’t know how. So at the next family beach barbeque, tell people, whether they be friends or family that you are interested in speaking with people in your industry. It doesn’t always work, but it often is a great starting point, and it gets you practicing your pitch.
- Join us! If you are home and at the start of your journey, you might want to consider the new InSync membership which will be launching in the next few months. Key to this membership will be a helpful network of many voices who will share your experience and can help you as you transition your career. To join the waitlist you can express your interest here. We’ll send out full details in the coming weeks.
