Finding a Job in Australia
The job market, in-demand fields, and how hiring works
The labour market is concentrated in the east coast cities, hiring is credential-conscious, and many occupations are licensed or registered at state level. Shortages are persistent in health care, care work, construction trades, engineering and parts of education, which is reflected in the occupation lists used for skilled migration. Local experience and local referees carry weight, and applicants without either commonly need a first Australian role before their career resumes its previous trajectory.
| Occupation lists | Skilled occupation lists indicate where shortages are recognised source |
| Assessment authorities | Each occupation has a designated assessing authority source |
| Regulated fields | Health, teaching, engineering, law and trades require registration or licensing |
| Where the jobs are | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth dominate professional hiring source |
Registration comes before employment
In health professions, teaching, law and many trades, a national or state body rather than the employer decides whether a person may practise. Registration is a separate application with its own evidence requirements, English standards and, in several professions, supervised practice or bridging assessment.
The sequence that works is to begin the registration or licensing process as early as the body permits, in parallel with the migration steps, rather than after arrival. In some professions the process runs into years, and its timeline, not the visa timeline, determines when work can begin.
How applications are read
- A résumé of two to three pages is normal, without a photograph, date of birth or marital status.
- Referees are expected to be contactable, and Australian referees are given noticeably more weight than overseas ones.
- Right-to-work status is asked early and directly; visa status that is described vaguely tends to end an application.
- Recruitment agencies handle a large share of professional hiring in the major cities, which makes registering with several of them a normal part of a search.
- Public sector roles follow a formal selection-criteria format that differs substantially from private sector applications.
Where shortages are genuine
Nursing, aged and disability care, general practice and allied health have sustained, well-documented shortages, and employers in these fields are experienced sponsors. Construction and electrical trades, engineering, and secondary teaching in mathematics and science are similarly persistent.
Shortage in a field does not remove the registration requirement. In health in particular, the recognition of overseas qualifications is the constraint on supply, which is why targeted recognition pathways for certain countries have been introduced rather than the shortage simply being filled.
Pay, conditions and the award system
Most employment is covered by a modern award or an enterprise agreement setting minimum pay and conditions for the occupation, alongside a national minimum wage. Casual employment carries a loading in place of leave entitlements, and penalty rates apply for weekend and unsocial hours in many awards.
Compulsory superannuation is paid by the employer on top of wages, and an advertised figure may be quoted either inclusive or exclusive of it, which is worth clarifying before comparing offers.
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Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.