The Australian Government is rubbing salt in the wound of a nation struggling to keep its skilled workers by enticing more Kiwis at this weekend's careers exhibition.
Government departments, local councils and health boards were among 48 Australian companies which sent representatives on recruiting missions to Auckland this week
The Oz Jobs Expo - which ends today - comes at a time when the exodus to Australia has been a challenging issue for political leaders in the upcoming election. About 45,000 New Zealanders migrate to Australia each year in search of higher-paid jobs and a better quality of life.
Oz Jobs Expo producer Jason Clayton said 7000 people attended last year's event, which had only half the number of exhibitors. He would not speculate on this weekend's attendance but said their website had at least 77,000 page views and the average visitor had scoured the site for more than six minutes.
All of last year's exhibitors found workers: mining giant Rio Tinto hired nine people on the spot and later received 1482 applications, Clayton said. Other recruits included nurses, doctors, bus drivers, tradesmen and senior engineers.