Surge in expats looking to quit cold world

Track Me Back, the New Zealand website which connects Kiwi expats with local employers, is reporting a sharp surge in interest, says general manager Stuart Maxwell.

"We've seen a steep increase in inquiries from Kiwis overseas since January. Our visitor traffic has doubled from that of March last year."

Expat Kiwis are looking for more information on the employment market.

But Maxwell warns New Zealand employers that these mobile workers are relatively transient and, although they are considering coming home, Australia is just as appealing - possibly more so.

"Out of the 1200 expat Kiwis who've subscribed to Track Me Back since January, more than 80 per cent have indicated interest in careers in Sydney and Melbourne as well as New Zealand," Maxwell says.

"What is also alarming is that our employment partners in Australia have been more proactive in sourcing this talent, which indicates Australian employers are still faced with real talent and skill shortages."

A newly joined member of Track Me Back with an information technology background was offered employment from an Australian employer within three days of registering.

"Four of our Kiwi employment partners also expressed strong interest in the candidate, but got there too late as he had already been snapped up."

However, New Zealand employers are still in a better recruitment position than this time last year.

Helen McBeath from engineering firm SKM, one of Track Me Back's corporate business partners, says more Kiwis and Australians are looking at their options due to the global downturn. "We're seeing way more expat candidates coming home than normal."

Cathryn Simpson, strategic sourcing and operations manager at Telecom, another Track Me Back business partner, says: "We're definitely dealing with a larger pool of applicants, but I'm not completely convinced we're seeing hard evidence of the 'brain gain' just yet - in certain niche spaces we're still finding a shortage of talent."

According to Richard Manthel, New Zealand managing director of international recruitment consultancy Robert Walters, there are three types of expats: people who will always come back; people who are coming back because they have lost confidence in the market; and those who have lost their jobs and are looking internationally for employment.

A lot of contracts are not being extended in Britain unless contractors have very special skill sets. Consequently many people are losing confidence, says Manthel.

Around 30,000 jobs have gone in banking in London this year. "Whether it's IT or sales or back office, they've all been hit hard. And it's an expensive place to survive - especially if you have a couple of kids."

If they do return, expats will find that job numbers have dropped by as much as 70 per cent, Manthel says. "For someone coming home now, looking for jobs, the market is very competitive."

Hundreds of applicants are applying for each job and the number of applicants is slowing the recruitment process, he says.

"It is a great time for companies to pick up some good people and upskill their workforce."

Meanwhile, Bernie Kelly, managing director of Global Career Link, an international recruitment consultancy launched to meet the needs of mobile professionals, predicts the next quarter will reveal the true state of the British market for expats.

For the first quarter of this year, the number of candidates in Britain was up by 18 per cent. "Our number of interviews is up by 58 per cent and our placement rate is the same as last year," Kelly says.

But people who win contracts or are offered positions in Britain are still earning good money, he says.

"It's important that young people do go overseas. It gives them valuable experience. They should go while the working visa window is open."