Shortage of skills Down Under lures Irish in their droves

Demand for Irish professionals and tradespeople in Australia is tempting many to relocate, writes Gabrielle Monaghan.

Tired of cold wet January days, lengthy commutes to work, spiralling house prices and exorbitant household bills? Then Australia wants you. Or at least some of you.

Australia is targeting Ireland as part of a global campaign to recruit almost 100,000 workers to help meet the current skills shortage Down Under.

The country is luring Irish engineers, tradespeople and medical staff with promises of low-cost living, sunshine and world-class beaches.

"Australia is the country the world envies," claims Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the world's biggest engineering and project management firms, in an advertisement it placed with The Irish Times last week. The company is seeking Irish civil, structural and mining engineers, among other staff, to help it build major infrastructure projects across Australia.

Australia Needs Skills expos are being held around the world, with the latest one in Ireland held at the RDS in October. The Great Escape Expo, which also features Australia, will be held at the same location in April.

While working holidays in Australia have become almost de rigueur for Irish students, the number of professionals and tradespeople making a more permanent move has quadrupled in recent years, according to Edwina Shanahan, marketing manager for visa specialist Migration.ie.

One body, Engineers Australia, recruited 36 Irish engineers in the 12 months by October and is coming back for more.

There are already some 50,000 Irish-born residents in Australia, while as many as 30 per cent of Australians claim some degree of Irish ancestry, according to the Australian embassy in Dublin. In addition, some 5,000 people left these shores for Australia last year to work on a general skilled migrant visa, while 12,500 went on a working holiday, Ms Shanahan said.

"It's not just single people going over for a year on a working holiday visa - we have entire families relocating to all over Australia," she said. "We get more applications in January than in any other month."

Australian employers are most interested in Irish people who are under 45 and have work experience or qualifications for an occupation on the migration occupations in demand list (MODL) or other specialist occupations on the skilled occupation list.

To qualify, migrants need at least 18 months' work experience in the occupation listed. Workers who do not have the paperwork to prove their qualifications for the job need at least six years' relevant work experience.

Unlike emigrants on a sponsorship visa, holders of a skilled migrant visa can work for whoever they want or even set up their own business.

The MODL specifies those skills identified by Australia's Department of Employment and Workplace Relations as being in short supply. It is regularly reviewed to reflect changes in the country's labour market.

If a potential immigrant's occupation is on the MODL at the time the application is lodged or assessed, they will be eligible for "occupation in demand/job offer" points on the general skilled migration points test. They receive extra points if they have a job offer from a suitable Australian employer.

Professions on the list include electrical and mechanical engineers, dermatologists, radiologists and accountants, while the tradespeople in demand are electricians, plumbers, joiners, and carpenters.

"Australia is doing so much building that they are fast-tracking applications for certain skill sets - Adelaide, for instance, is like a whole new city," Ms Shanahan said.

Irish tradespeople who find work through agencies in Australia often command an annual wage of as much as €100,000, which is more than local GPs earn, according to Ms Shanahan. Miners, crane drives and diesel mechanics can earn even more. This, coupled with a lower cost of living than in Ireland, is enough of a reason for many to consider migrating.

"Money will tempt tradespeople to go over but many of these men have families and appreciate the idea of an outdoor life in Australia," she said. "Many of them are from Dublin and are tired of commuting two hours in and out of work. In a rural town in Australia, they can cycle to work."

For those who are unwilling to make a full-time commitment to Australia, working holiday programmes enable young people to gain first-hand experience of the country while on an extended holiday. Participants must be 30 or under on the date of application and can work for up to six months for the same employer to supplement their living expenses.

More than 50,000 Irish people have taken part in the Australian working holiday programme in the last five years, making Ireland the largest recipient of working holiday visas to Australia in the world per capita of population.

The relocation of thousands of Irish workers to Australia, both on a temporary and permanent basis, prompted Migration.ie to set up its own office in Sydney in 2005. Its recruitment team there organises job placements and interviews within days of landing in the city and helps find long-term accommodation for families and schooling for children.

As a result of growing demand for Irish professionals and tradespeople in Australia, Migration.ie intends to hold a series of presentations in Dublin, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Belfast throughout February and March.