Australians biding their time for quality jobs says SEEK UK

SEEK UK, SEEKís website dedicated to jobs in the UK and Ireland (www.seek.co.uk) has relaunched a new and improved offering for both jobseekers and advertisers. The site has been significantly enhanced to cater for the growing number of Australians and New Zealanders who see working in the UK not as a right of passage, but a career move that they want to carefully plan.

According to the British High Commission, more than 20,000 Australians apply for working holiday visas every year. Thousands more take advantage of company sponsored visas or their British ancestry to secure employment in the UK.

SEEK Executive Director Matthew Rockman said ìItís not uncommon for Australians to start planning their move a year in advance. People are also becoming more selective about the work they want to do when they get there.î

ìWhen we first launched SEEK UK in 2002 our priority was to list a wide range of jobs across all industry sectors for Australians and New Zealanders working in the UK. Now weíre attracting more people to the site who are in the early stages of researching their options. As a result, weíve created a dedicated hub for all they need to know about work, visas, tax, bank accounts and travel.î

Another new feature of the site, a first for both recruiters and jobseekers, is the ability for people to register an expression of interest directly with a recruiter, or in other words, task a recruiter with finding the right job for them.

ìAustralians are generally highly regarded for their skills and work ethic, and they are sought after by UK based companies, especially in the current tight employment market. The UK has also relaxed some of its restrictions on working visas, so itís now much easier for Australians and New Zealanders to secure skilled positions, as opposed to traditional jobs such as bar work and waitressing.

ìSEEK UK is facilitating this by allowing people to register an expression of interest with recruiters. This effectively means that they have an agent looking out for quality opportunities that fit their individual skill set and time scale.

ìExpats who are already there or people who are ready to move can still apply for a wide range of positions from over 1,500 currently online.

ìWe believe SEEK UK is by far the easiest way to find a quality job in the UK, and a valuable tool for advertisers looking to attract the best Aussie and Kiwi talent,î said Mr Rockman.