mika24me

Hello all - sorry have not been on here for ages

does anyone know if Australia is currently facing recession like Britain is? My hubby is in building and construction, and currently working in Scotland where wages are plummeting, but he cannot complain as jobs are so scarce.

We still have our home in Oz and are considering moving back (came back to Scotland a year ago). but we cannot contemplate the move if work will be just as scarce.

We would be moving to the Geelong region. Anyone got any advice?

Thanks

Beppe

Lots of people will have a different opinion on this one.

My opinion is that Oz will face a recession, however it will initially be two tier. Services & construction falling into recession, whilst resources continue (for the time being) to grow but at a contracted rate. This resources growth will be saved for the coming "rainy day" rather than be released into the wider economy.

Currently I’m reading lots of media “stories” that tell me Scotland is not experiencing anywhere near the same downturn as the rest of the UK. However, what does it feel like to you living there?

Same as in Oz, the propaganda machine is still trying to paper over the cracks.

But ask the people that live there what they feel. Hopefully some will answer you on here.

Amazulu

My opinion:
Maybe a mild recession in the passenger states - NSW, Vic, SA
No recession in Qld, WA, NT

asprilla

Didn't realise that construction wages are dropping so much in scotland. There has been nothing on the news to indicate that this is the case. Best of luck to you.

mika24me

Yeah hubby is earning approx 65% of his wages before we left in 2003. He is a self employed sub contractor and the firm he works for has work, and therefore knows they can drop wages but the tradies will stay working as they have no option (no work elsewhere).

It is a nasty situation. One of his colleagues is facing repossession.

asprilla

well, I hope that it turns around for you guys. cheers

joeyb

Funny, we were going to ask the same about whether Oz is facing a recession.
My husband is a bricklayer and we were wondering whether there is enough work going on in QLD.
We were due to go over last year but, due to unforseen circumstances, had to stay in UK. Work is drying up around where we live now.

Can any tradies share what the work situation is like over in Oz (especially along gold coast and sunshine coast)?

Cheers

Jo

Devlin

Passenger states? You are either very naive or winding people up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._State_Product

DrWho

Excellent... puts that myth to bed...

themerlin

I think if interest rates start to go down then people will be back buying stuff they don't need (and boosting the economy) before long

MartinLuther

He's going for a wind-up. WA keeps telling it's little-uns that they are the Aussie economy. And some of them grow up believing it.

Bless em

ozzieeagle

Builders I've been contacting still have enough work on their books to charge silly money. However I wouldnt like to be trying to get employment as a newcomer to this country at present, even in building.

6,000 houses short in Melbourne, minimum.

jad n rich

Problem is, building costs have risen due to the cost of building materials.
Its not the wages/labour thats going up its the cost of the materials, many go up monthly.

There is a constant influx of migrants to the building industry and Mr Rudd has kindly proposed even more cheap labour with about another 300,000 visas this year All this with unemployment rising and lets face it the employment stat's count anyone who works 2+ hours a week so they are hardly realistic anyway.

Devlin

Yep, inflation seems to be entrenched. So what do the RBA want to do now? Cut interest rates of course...

Big Galah

I would imagine Australia is an even more attractive option in times of recession. But to wonder if it will somehow remain immune to an economic slowdown of global proportions is optimistic in the extreme. It's going to bite here, it just lags a bit behind Europe and the US, as Asia does.

Someone once told me he'd rather be poor in Australia than poor in England - so maybe you could look at it that way.