Australian-first recruitment tech start-up, WorkinAUS, is making it easier than ever for international jobseekers to connect with Australian employers, as new research shows there’s a large, ready-to-move pool of overseas workers who can help solve the country’s critical labour shortages.
WorkinAUS is an online platform advertising Australian jobs directly to international candidates who are ready and willing to relocate to fill one of Australia’s near 500,000 vacant roles.
The start-up is initially targeting the United Kingdom and Ireland and aims to have 10,000 registered jobseekers by December 2022, with sights set on expanding into other countries.
Approximately 750,000 people aged 21-35 in the United Kingdom and Ireland ‘could leave immediately if the right opportunity came up’, according to YouGov research commissioned by WorkinAUS. These countries also represented more than 50 percent of the overseas workers coming to Australia pre-COVID.
Brian Schroder, co-founder and chief executive officer of WorkinAUS, says easier recruitment of migrants, and better reaching them with job opportunities before they arrive, are critical to solving the country’s labour shortage.
“Borders shouldn’t be barriers, and that’s why the WorkinAUS platform creates a direct line between a wider international talent market and Australian employers and recruiters,” he said.
“WorkinAUS is the first international ‘job board’ dedicated to bringing migrants into the country to fill vacant jobs by making it easy for them to find employers willing to hire them.
“Never in my 20 years of recruitment have I seen such a huge gap between demand from employers and available labour.
“The Government lifting the permanent migration cap is a positive step, but we are still nowhere near returning to Australia’s pre-COVID levels of migration into the country. WorkinAUS seeks to change that.
“Sectors like hospitality, retail, tourism, health, education and construction – some of Australia’s largest industry sectors – are facing significant labour shortfalls.
“There are currently more than 70,000 overseas workers who have been granted working holiday maker visas but not yet arrived in Australia. With faster processing times than other visas, and the ability to attract a broad range of skills and experiences, the potential there alone is very powerful.”
WorkinAUS is currently showcasing jobs from brands including restaurant leaders Hunter St Hospitality and Pacific Concepts (formerly Rockpool Dining Group), specialist medical recruitment agency Medipeople, and an Endota Spa franchisee, with the start-up targeting 500 employer clients by year’s end.
Momento Hospitality, which runs leading Sydney-based food and dining venues, is also among the employers that have signed up to the WorkinAUS platform.
Momento Hospitality chief executive officer Marcello Colosimo said hospitality was one of the industries worst affected by Australia’s labour shortage as it typically employed large numbers of overseas workers.
“Many of our overseas workers returned to their home countries during the pandemic and almost all are yet to return,” he said.
“Hospitality venues have been struggling to find enough staff for the past two years, and some have had to change operating hours, close during busy periods and reduce the number of sittings, making too many businesses unviable.
“We urgently need innovative solutions, like WorkinAUS, to help encourage international talent back to Australia to fill higher-than-ever vacancies in hospitality and other sectors. They are a key part of our ability to offer a great service to customers and bring diverse ideas and experience with them.”
Margy Osmond, chief executive officer of the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia (TFF), the peak industry group for the country’s tourism, transport and aviation sectors, says the findings from the research were an exciting reinforcement that Australia is still a desirable option for a huge number of potential overseas workers.
“Australia offers an incredible experience for overseas workers and making it easier for them to find jobs that welcome them is an important part of solving our labour crisis,” she said.
“We have the jobs ready to go but we need to make them easier to access and to remove the hurdles to making this happen.”
WorkinAUS has formed a strategic partnership with the Migration Institute of Australia, and is a preferred partner of the Recruitment, Consulting & Staffing Association (RCSA) – alliances that will see the platform promoted to the bodies’ member businesses.
To date, WorkinAUS has been funded by co-founders Brian Schroder and Chris Carman and a closed group of private investors. Additional capital raising is being considered for early 2023.
Brian Schroder co-founded The Andersen Partnership in 2010, a recruitment business that’s grown to more than 100 consultants across 11 offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, the UK and Ireland. Brian exited in 2019 and is now a non-executive director.
Chris Carman has been a migration specialist for more than 15 years and has advised some of the world’s largest organisations on Australian immigration law and helped thousands of migrants with visa-related matters. He owned Carman & Associates, which he sold in 2018.
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