INTERNATIONAL JOB SEARCH EXECUTIVE JOBS AUSTRALIA MARKET REPORT

2008 Expatriates Survey - Australia Aug 2008

Circa 40% of Australian expatriates living overseas earn more than $207,000 a year, a survey finds.

The proportion of expatriate Australians earning more than STG100,00 ($A207,000) - at 39% - was just behind the Irish expatriates, at 45%, and expatriate Brazilians, 48%.

More than half of Australian expatriates were younger than 34, and 45 per cent worked in finance followed by 24 per cent in professional services.

However, the tyranny of distance shortened the time overseas expatriates stayed in Australia, the HSBC Global Expat Explorer Survey said.

Australia ranked 10th of the 15 countries in the survey of 2,155 expatriates on living standards, their ability to earn and save, a country's popularity (longevity) and the level of luxury.

While Australia scored well on levels of luxury, the ability to earn and save and accommodation but poorly for the length of stay.

The country ranked second last on length of stay for executives, ahead of India.

HSBC Australia group communications executive Daniel Pigott said Australia's isolation from Europe contributed to the poor showing on executive longevity.

"Many of the expats come from European countries, and Australia is so far from there," he said.

"It was one of the reasons they don't stay as long as they do in other countries, which might be closer to Europe."

The Netherlands topped the longevity list, Germany next and the USA third.

But Australia was the top spot for those executives who did stay, with 22% changing their citizenship.

Australia's outdoor lifestyle was popular for expats, with 80 per cent indicating of spending more time outdoors here than in their own country, the report said.

The best place to earn an executive income was Hong Kong and India, where almost half of all expatriates there earned $STG 1000,000 ($A207,000).

Singapore was the top ranked country overall, with the highest score for accommodation and was second-best for luxury and the earn and save category.

The UK was the most expensive expatriate location, with 85% of respondents saying their living costs had risen, while India was the cheapest.

In the luxury category, the UAE topped the list, while expatriates in India had the best chance to earn and save.

2006

Demand for executive jobs is again strong in the Australian resources sector particularly in Western Australia and Queensland. Weakest state is currently Victoria where employment sentiment has weakened since 2005. We have found that SME corporations are hiring strongly and executives are advised to target small and medium corporations across all sectors. Strongest sectors for executive jobs in Australia are Resources, Construction, Legal, Accounting and Tourism. Sales and Marketing staff are in demand especially those with experience outside Australia as corporations look to increase export sales.

2005

The Australian economy was strong during the year on the back of demand for resources from China. Not surprisingly the resource sector was a strong provider of executive jobs during the year with Telecoms, Technology and Tourism being the bright spots. Manufacturing and Consumer Products showed a slight downturn while Financial Services was neutral.

2004