Jobs & Money Detail
Queensland wants you
Queensland has a plethora of seriously exciting opportunities for skilled migrants. Ben Lewis takes a look at what’s going on in the Smart State’s job market
Avid readers of Emigrate Australia may have noticed that the word 'diverse' gets used a lot when it comes to describing places. Whether it is used to refer to a certain destination's inhabitants or the environment that surrounds them it is often an invaluable word for us journalist types in our quest to paint pictures and bring a place to life with words.
However, never has a word been more aptly applied than when 'diverse' is used as a prefix to Queensland. With regards to its population, the 'Smart State', as it is known, attracted 12,316 immigrants from all over the world in the six-month period between June and December 2005 alone. When this is added to the 175,000 immigrants that have taken up residence there in the 12 years previous to 2005, the result is the very definition of another favourite journalistic expression... 'a cultural melting pot'. Much of this influx can be attributed to the 'something for everyone' environment that Queensland boasts.
In the southern section of the state you will find empty beaches and rolling hills. Brisbane and the Gold Coast offer an urban centre for those more inclined towards city life. Further north, red sand deserts and remote outposts are ideal for those who prefer seclusion and space. In the northernmost reaches of the state Cairns provides the ideal spot for a slower, tourist driven existence and Cape Tribulation's tropical rainforests are a must for those Crocodile Dundee/SAS survival types amongst you.
Luckily, considering this is the recruitment and business section of the publication, 'diverse' is also a word that is particularly apt in describing the working opportunities that are available in the state. Whether it's a life as a flying doctor attending to the desert regions, a tropical tree surgeon in the rainforests, a marine biologist on the Great Barrier Reef or a mullet cropping hairdresser in Brisbane, the options are incredible and are continuously growing.
Growth areas of particular note include the manufacturing sector, tourism, and business. However, it is also worth noting that outside the main population areas of Brisbane and the Gold Coast there are a large number of specific skills in demand that are part of the Skilled Independent Regional Visa scheme (SIR) that Queensland has now signed up for. As regular readers and those a bit further down the emigration road will no doubt be fully aware, the SIR is designed to attract migrants to regional areas by allowing applicants to score fewer points if they have skills that are on the Federal Government's Skilled Occupations List (SOL) and can achieve state sponsorship. Those planning to take this route should be willing to live in places outside the major metropolitan areas in Queensland. The full list of occupations in demand is available at the Australian Government's immigration website.
Of late, the state's positive attitude to immigration has begun to pay dividends on the unemployment front. The latest figures available have revealed that unemployment in Queensland has dropped more than four per cent in the past year. Much of this can be put down to the active recruitment of migrants and the State Government's 'Unemployment Cycle' initiative that has succeeded in creating over 100,000 jobs in the past seven-and-a-half years. Over this time the Queensland Government has spent in excess of AUS$650 million helping more than 37 people a day find permanent employment. State Premier, Peter Beattie said: "Overall the initiative has been a resounding success and its real success is that many of the people assisted have been among the most disadvantaged in the workforce."
And, of course, low levels of unemployment can only be a positive thing if you are a migrant looking to set up a business of your own or ply your trade in a new home town. After all, a booming economy makes for ever increasing opportunities and the chance to grow businesses.
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