Australia: the land of your product design career?
The product design industry is a broad sector. From products that solve everyday problems, to medical and scientific tools that transform outcomes, to how we interact with the environment around us, design affects our everyday lives.
There are plenty of exciting, rewarding careers on offer - the UK and its university system, is renowned globally for producing world class creative and technical experts in the field.
If you’re a talented designer looking for your next move, it’s worth knowing that there’s one country in particular that’s suffering from an ever-increasing skills shortage: Australia.
The Australian technology and engineering markets are buoyant in certain areas, but many of its sectors are being held back because the country just doesn’t have enough specialist designers/engineers to keep up with the changing demands of technology.
Although there are forward-thinking candidates graduating from outstanding universities, unfortunately they’re too few in number.
This means there’s now a widening gap between available vacancies in industrial, product and mechanical design, and suitably skilled/experienced employees to fill them.
Who’s in demand
At RHL Australasia, we’re working with our clients to help them recruit the talent they need to fulfil their objectives and growth strategies - both from within Australia and from the UK.
These innovation and design consultancies, in-house design teams and manufacturers span a range of sectors including medical devices and healthcare, consumer products, transport, scientific, infrastructure and mining.
They’re looking for professionals who’ve started to progress in their career and already have industry skills and experience under their belt, including:
- Industrial designers
- Product designers
- Mechanical design engineers
- Service (UX/UI) designers
- Software/Firmware/Electronics designers
Most of our current roles are in Sydney, but we’re starting to handle vacancies in Melbourne and Brisbane too - plus exploring opportunities in the vibrant mining, oil and gas industry in Western Australia.
Career progression in Australia
Getting to know our clients has revealed that many now in senior positions have worked in the UK in the past. It’s clear that industry experience and skills gained from studying and working in the UK are highly valued in Australia. A prestigious UK university education is a highly valued commodity, recognised the world over and should not be under-estimated.
Skills shortages in Australia can offer opportunities for you to expand your knowledge and skill set - and gain promotion - at a fast rate. For example, industrial designers in Australia are often given a broader set of responsibilities for the product journey than their UK counterparts, which can lead to quicker career development as they utilise this wider skill set.
Living in Australia
You’ll probably already know about Australia’s enviable climate and outdoor lifestyle. Its beautiful coastlines, national parks and rainforests are breathtaking.
But what you might not fully appreciate is that for most Australians, work-life balance is considered crucial for general health and wellbeing. Although they’re highly professional and focused on working hard to get the job done on time, the general aim is for work to not encroach too much on down time. The climate certainly lends itself to this philosophy of enjoying and preserving free time in the great outdoors. If you’re used to answering 9pm emails on your smartphone or spending long hours working overtime, this could be a revelation.
Immigration rules
With stringent immigration rules, Australia is certainly now one of the toughest countries in the world to enter from overseas to live and work.
Strict controls allow employers to ‘address labour shortages by bringing in genuinely skilled workers only where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian’. Australia is looking to fill numerous technical skills shortages - design and engineering are among those.
The Australian government regularly publishes a Skilled Occupation List - a list of required disciplines that the country currently needs. If you have one of those skills, you may be able to work in the country for up to four years, depending on visa type.
At RHL Australasia, we’re able to signpost people to organisations that can help with the visa process but the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website is the best place to start your research.
The message is clear: If you have a working visa pending or one already in place, we have fantastic roles ready and waiting for you. Not only will it be a career move you won’t regret - but you’ll love what it does for your work-life balance, too.
Get in touch
Contact Paul for a chat about working in Australia:
+61 (0)4 5656 5555 or email paul@rhl.com.au
Paul Surridge, Managing Director RHL Australasia