Expats returning home are key to unlocking Corporate Australia’s competitive edge

Report highlights need for Australian businesses to embrace skills and experience of expats coming home

Sydney, Australia | 13 September 2019 – Australian expats returning home are an untapped talent pool for recruiters and businesses, a report by Indeed, the #1 job site in the world and Advance, the organisation that celebrates and connects members of Australia’s global diaspora, reveals.

The report, ‘They Still Call Australia Home’ explores the attitudes of Australian business and recruitment decision-makers towards Australians who have travelled and worked abroad. It also captures the job-seeking experiences of Australians who have worked, or are working, overseas and navigating their return to Australia. A key highlight from the report’s findings is the need for Australian businesses and recruiters to broaden their search to include expats returning home to Australia.

According to the findings, nearly three quarters of respondents (71%) reported a positive experience from hiring a returned expat while almost 3 in 5 (57%) of recruiters identified that recruiting returned Australians has a longer-term strategic benefit.

While recruiters expressed concerns that expat candidates who recently returned home lacked strong Australian business networks, in fact nearly half (49%) of those returning from a stint overseas reported eventually finding employment through their own networks. This demonstrated that expats returning to Australia are indeed benefitting from maintaining strong connections back home.

By overlooking Australian talent in global markets, employers are limiting their options. In fact, 65% of the survey respondents believe Australian businesses are creating an environment that discourages Australians working overseas from returning.

When looking for work back home, a third (34%) of expats who recently returned home reported not being successful in landing an interview for a potential role where their skills precisely matched the job requirements. And while almost a quarter (24%) of those surveyed were successful in landing interviews for various roles, they still reported missing out on job offers. According to the report it takes those returning home 2.1 months longer than the average job seeker to secure a job.

When it comes to the skillsets that they can offer corporate Australia, the ability to manage culturally diverse staff and stakeholders, global leadership and strategy, international regulation, and knowledge of emerging technologies are among them.

Given two-thirds (67%) of recruiters say they have struggled to find candidates to fill roles because of skill shortages or a lack of relevant experience, those returning home present as valuable talent and offer a potential solution to Australia’s skills deficit.

Paul D’Arcy, SVP Marketing at global job site Indeed,

/Public Release.