Despite tales of economic doom and gloom that seem to be dominating the news elsewhere in the developed world, 2008 is looking likely to be a great year here in Australia says David Owens from Digby Morgan’s Australian head office in Sydney.

The economy and the labour market have been very good despite the troubles affecting many other areas of the world. The country is riding a wave of booming commodity prices, record exports and mega profits from miners as they struggle to meet the burgeoning demand for raw materials from the developing world. Infrastructure spending looks like it is going to be massive in the next three years and the next move for interest rates is down.

With regard to the subsequent demand for HR professionals down under, although there has been some seasonal slowdown over the last couple of months the market is now showing signs of coming back on stream.

The investment and domestic banks are not in talent acquisition mode right now but many other sectors, such as construction and engineering, are showing significant growth.

A further booming area is the market for interim HR professionals – often seen as the best way for migrants or Aussie returners to ease themselves back into the market. The Australian Interim business is really flying at the moment with our Sydney office seeing a doubling in its interim business over the last three months alone.

Still smarting from being beaten by Team GB in the Olympic Games, Australia can still provide a whole lot of job opportunities to the relocating HR professional. Whether you are an Aussie returner or a first off migrant the welcome in Australia will, especially with summer fast approaching, be a warm one!

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