Young expat's brutal struggle to get a job in Australia: 'Even Aldi wouldn't take me'

A young expat in Australia has opened up about the brutal struggle of finding a job and revealed how she was rejected by Aldi twice in one day. When Nicole Morrison moved to Queensland from Northern Ireland at the end of last year, she had decent work experience and some savings under her belt.

But she wasn't prepared to spend months sending out countless applications to everywhere imaginable. The 24-year-old told Yahoo Finance she was so surprised by how tough the job market was.

"I was going in-person and everything, like handing out resumes and applying online a lot," she said.

RELATED

• Expat's cost-of-living bombshell after fleeing expensive Aussie city

• Huge $134 bill hike coming from August 1

• Warning cashless Australia 'inevitable' after Gen Z cash question: 'Can't be serious?'

She was self-employed as a beautician before moving over and had also worked in several hospitality venues. Thinking she would be able to get a gig at a cafe, pub or salon, she tried hard to find somewhere that would take her on.

But everywhere she turned, she was either rejected or ghosted. She said the snub from Aldi for two separate roles was particularly rough.

"It just opened my eyes, I was like, 'Oh my God'. Like, twice in one day," she said.

Morrison said many expats she's met have been battling to survive after touching down in Australia and added that competition is fierce.

Are you struggling to get a job in Australia? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com

"All my friends who I've made out here have struggled a lot," she explained.

"And even whenever they get a job, it's casual, they don't get enough hours. They're told, 'Oh yeah, we have hours' and the next minute, during school holidays they give those hours to younger ones who are paid less per hour.

"The amount of Irish alone that came over recently was literally double what it was previously, and that's only Irish. Nevermind people from England, Scotland, Germany ... the amount of people that would be looking for jobs."

From July 2022 to July 2023, the Australian Department of Home Affairs revealed there were 21,525 work holiday permits granted to Irish citizens, which was a 105.2 per cent increase from the 2021-22 period. The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the unemployment rate sits at 4 per cent.

The 24-year-old said she was lucky she had family in Queensland otherwise it would have been next to impossible to get by without a job.

The young worker has now managed to score an au pair gig for 24 hours a week, which she said comes with decent pay and some nice perks like free accommodation.

Warning to people coming to Australia: 'I keep crying'

But she warned others heading to Australia to be prepared for a tough slog if they don't have a job lined up prior to leaving.

"I would definitely say to come over with an open mind, low expectations, and a good bit of savings to allow yourself to kind of dip into them for accommodation, knowing that you might not have a job for a couple of months," she told Yahoo Finance.

This sentiment has made its way onto social media, with others alerting foreigners about how tough it is in Australia at the moment.

When an Irish person asked people on Reddit if it was a good time to move to Australia, they were given some hard truths.

"Australians are struggling HARD right now with a cost-of-living crisis, housing crisis, and rising unemployment paired with record levels of immigration pushed by the government. Unfortunately, you won't find much support for immigrating to Australia at this time," wrote one user.

"It's brutal right now. Recommend not to come," said another.

British expat Hannah, who moved from London to Perth recently, said she was shocked at the reality of living in Australia.

“I would like to de-influence you to move to Australia,” she said in a video. “Because the girls on TikTok that just make videos of them running on the beach at 6am having an acai bowl, enjoying the sunrise, it is not like that.

“The amount of times I’ve cried in the last three weeks, the amount of times I’ve wanted to go home. Like I still want to stay here but it’s not easy.”

The Expat Insider 2023 survey found Australia was ranked 20th out of 54 destinations. While many highlighted it as a great country to work in, many cited the housing crisis and difficulty in managing personal finances as major concerns.

Get the latest Yahoo Finance news - follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.