Employment in Australia after March 2020.
New Migrants often need to find work quickly once they arrive in Australia. It isn’t always easy, but it is now getting much worse.
The number of people losing their jobs following the effects of the COVID-19 virus is growing, and Cabinet ministers have been warned that the total number of unemployed Australians could rise above one million in the coming weeks and months.
In February 2020 there were 698,900 unemployed. Some reports are expecting another 500,000 jobs to be lost over the next few months. This could give Australia about 1.2 million unemployed, heading towards 10% unemployed.
One example of how many people are already looking for work, and who may not yet be in the unemployed figures, is this:
Coles supermarkets normally get about 400 job applications per day. Just a few days ago they received 36,000 applications in just the one day.
It had been mentioned that they needed about 5,000 casual shelf fillers. Many of these applicants have recently lost their jobs in various hospitality fields in Australia. I wonder how many more people applied in the following days.
Another example of job losses is an Australian travel agent, Flight Centre, which has announced the closure of many of its stores, threatening the jobs of many of its 20,000 employees.
Qantas has laid of 20,000 of its workers.
About to Arrive in Australia?.
Unless you have a job lined up, you must think very carefully about how you will survive.
Australia is not a cheap place to live, and with even fewer jobs available, and priority almost always given to those with “local experience”, it will be harder than ever to survive.
There are no unemployment benefits for new migrants for FOUR year after entry, so make sure you have sufficient funds or alternatives, to look after yourselves.