Find a job in Australia in 2022: how you can take advantage of the post-covid staff shortage crisis

There’s never been a better time to get a job in Australia 

Students rejoice!  There’s never been a better time to find a job in Australia! With the opening of international borders to student visa holders, Australia and its businesses are welcoming international students with open arms. An International student from India, Dhairyaraj Jhala shares his experience with finding a job in Australia below. He utilised the network that he had built through ICMS and is now employed as a front desk associate by Crown Sydney, a luxury six-star hotel based in Barangaroo, Sydney. “I have been able to take advantage of the critical staff shortages in Australia and land a great job whilst still studying.” 

Skilled migrant shortage for jobs in Australia   

“There’s never been a better time to find a job in Australia,” shares Todd Palioca, Senior Vice President (Domestic and International Development) at ICMS.  

There has been a plea for international students to return to Australia, not only to study onshore but also to lessen the pressure of workforce shortages felt throughout Australian businesses, supply chains and industries. From the moment the borders shut to international students (as well as other foreign visa holders) from the 20th of March 2020 until the 15th of December 2021, at least 85% of Australian businesses have reported a skilled labour shortage. This is also compounded with the highly contagious omicron variant which spread rapidly throughout Australia and the Australian government isolation requirements. Consequently, many Australian businesses have had to limit their operating hours, or even close.

Opportunities for international students to find a job and work in Australia  

Australia needs an injection of skilled workers, temporary graduates and international students into the workforce. The Australian Government is incentivising students who hold subclass 500 visas, and other skilled workers such as Temporary Graduate Visa holders (subclass 485) to return to work in Australia.  

The Australian Government is incentivising the application or return of international students to study in Australia, through: 

• A visa fee refund (for international student visa holders which arrived between the 19th of January 2022 and 19 March 2022)  
• A fee waiver when applying for a new student visa (if you were unable to complete your studies due to COVID-19).  
• Temporary Graduate Visa holders extension for graduates that were offshore between 01 February 2020 and 14 December 2021.  
• Extension of length of the post-study ‘stay and work in Australia’ visa for Master’s students from two years to three years.  
• Relaxation of working hours for international students.  

Working hours restriction temporarily lifted for international students 

To remedy the labour shortage and promote recovery of Australia’s economy, international students have received a temporary relaxation of their working hours, meaning that it’s now possible to study – and work as much as you need to. This extra cash could help students to fund their studies in Australia. The visa conditions previously stipulated that students could only work full time during their holidays and were restricted to working 40 hours per fortnight. It is important to note that student visa holders who cancel their enrolment and stop attending classes, or fail to meet satisfactory course progress, may be in breach of their visa conditions. For further advice on studying and working in Australia as an international student click here.  

ICMS assists students to find a job in Australia  

ICMS courses not only cover contemporary theories, concepts and skills, but they also have industry training, also known as an internship, built into all Bachelor and Masters degrees.  ICMS also equips students with a minimum of 600 hours work experience in a field or industry that aligns with student’s career goals.. ICMS conducts this through the Work Integrated Learning program.  Dhairyaraj explains the benefits of the career-focused approach at ICMS, “One thing I appreciate about ICMS is that I gain theoretical and practical knowledge from my degree and implement it during my industry training. The college assists me with my work placement through their Work Integrated Learning program and this way I am given all the tools to graduate successfully as a well-rounded professional”.

ICMS is small enough to connect with you, big enough to connect you.  

Dhairyaraj is amongst the 355,627 international students in Australia in 2022 who decided to study in Australia. He came to Australia in pursuit of his Master of Management (Tourism and Hospitality). Within his first month of arrival, Dhairyaraj networked with ICMS students and subsequently found an apartment and a job. According to Dhairya, the support he received from ICMS made his transition to live in Australia so smooth. His support network includes the ICMS Student Success Centre, The Work Integrated Learning team and his country representative Manish Desai who offered support all the way from Gujarat India. “From the alumni that I know, 99% of them have found employment with the industry partner they completed their internship with. For the ones who didn’t, they still have at least six months’ work experience once they graduate which enhances their chance of finding employment ” shares Dhairyaraj.  

Understanding the job market in Australia  

ICMS encourages students to be active on their LinkedIn and Seek accounts, network with other students, lecturers, WIL placement facilitators and industry partners. Additionally, it is up to students’ to identify how the courses offered by ICMS as well as the network of over 1000 industry partners can assist students with finding employment whether it is for just six months or for a longer term. It is up to international students seeking employment in Australia to review the job market, who is hiring, what skills are sought after, what skills are prioritised and consult with the WIL team to find their ideal placement.