FPE88

The job situation is dire here, really is bad.

I know first hand that in my area the council is cutting a lot of jobs, police force as well as the NHS now.

Also because so many people are applying for 1 job the pay here is at its lowest, Quicker I get to OZ the better I think.

Heavenlyscent

Things r getting much more difficult here in the Uk in general, yes government jobs, nhs jobs and the police are cutting back and not recruiting, the recesiion is hitting hard now. The recession will hit other countries. I understand that in NZ lots of people are leaving again because of the cost of living.

FPE88

I have heard that its only getting worse as well.

Mummy in the foothills

Well it's getting worse here, the nearest big town/city to us is predicted to have 18% unemployment this year No wonder I can't find anything.

FrequentFlyer

It's not good over here - worse than I hoped.

I also find that recruiters are not particularly impressed with job seekers who have been expat for a few years.

In the South West of England, office work generally is only paying £6 to £7 per hour through agencies (a top level PA might get £8 per hour but apparently that is unusual). My local large supermarket has a sign that 'no application forms accepted at the moment' so that also suggests everyone is looking for something and not much of anything about.

It appears the public sector cuts have not actually happened yet with cuts announced but the actual redundancies will come later in the year and I guess make things worse. It is such a different outlook from a few years back when public sector work was plentiful.

House rents seem high here (the South West) compared to salary levels so the economics not looking too good right now. I think the property and rental market must be fuelled by retirees as house prices are not consistent with local wage levels.

So far I have not applied for a low paying job as it wont cover living expenses .......

Going to try the home counties next, so maybe more work possibilities up there but also higher rent costs I guess.

Beedubya

When I got back to Oz last April I was unemployed for 3 months.........it ain't all beer and skittles here you know.

And as for the cost of living.

pain-in-spain

I'm in Spain, Barcelona, been here 8.5 years and trying to sell our flat to be able to move back to London. I have been lucky to find work during my years here- speak fluent Spanish and have TEFL teaching certificate but have always worked in secretarial jobs. I plan to write a book on the job market here as it's utterly shocking, totally mafia and illegal with many people getting cash in hand or illegal temporary contracts that abusive employers use to easily get rid of staff. What I have experienced here in Barcelona is nothing to do with "la crisis" as they call it, it's always been this way and the Spanish attitude to having a rewarding and well paid career is shameful. Kids live with their parents till mid forties and have no independence. The education system here is extremely low quality (I recently taught English in a primary and secondary school and the children were totally out of control!). Wages are truly third world with many skilled and multi linguist employees paid 1000 euros per month or less, hours are very long and most people are not ambitious or driven, it's shocking. I am in my late forties and when I started looking for work here was around 41, I have constantly experienced age discrimination and the first question asked when applying for a job is how old you are, it is highly illegal to do this and Spain is part of the European Union and governed by these laws, sadly the Spanish character is one that does not like to be told what to do and does what it likes when it suits them, there is so much abuse here it's disgusting. I am worried about finding work in London, although each time I visit I meet Spanish people in jobs everywhere which they'd never get here so I feel strongly about what I have to offer. The Spanish always talk about their beloved culture and climate but when it comes to work for proper salaries they all head for England. (My father is Spanish and left Spain in the 1960's for a better life in the UK too).

Here's a really good article by a Spanish journalist about the deep rooted problem this country has, make interesting reading and it's all true
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...tacle-recovery

Sergia

I totally agree. I am a Spaniard myself and after 10 years in the UK I came back to Spain and now I wish I never had cos I have experienced what pain-in-spain has just said. That´s why I want to go back to the UK and get my teaching career back on track although as I have said before I may not be able to as I am too expensive and schools go for newly qualified teachers who have just finished uni. I love my country but at the same time I feel ashamed of how certain things still work

pain-in-spain

Hi Sergia, appreciate your acknowledgment of my comments, which as you say are sadly very true, only Spanish people or those like myself who've been directly exposed to the mafiosa labour market here can possibly know. I feel confident that you will find work in the UK, Spanish is fast becoming a very important language to rival English and there will be increased demand in the future. Being native Spanish you have a lot to offer and although you've experienced a recent rejection, perhaps for the reasons you mention, your experience will eventually be highly valued. Younger people may come cheap but in my experience they are quite often unreliable, it's about time that age and experience is given the reward it deserves in a world where we are expected to work virtually till we die yet are considered past it when we hit 40! I don't say that age-ism doesn't go on in the UK, of course it does, but over here it's outrageous and I don't see how things will improve. I wish you lots of luck finding a good teaching job in the UK, I am sure you will! Mucha suerte!

Sergia

Thank you pain-in-spain. People that stay in Spain is because they have a good job or are not ambitious at all. As my British husband says skilled Spanish people will end up in countries where their skills are recognised and decently paid. I owe the UK everything I am now and I am very grateful I can have the option to go back. I still have my house there and hopefully I will find a decent job sooner or later.
Thanks once more

janeyk

I agree with the OP re jobs aetc in SW we returned back in Jan 2010 I am a fully qualified accountant with 20 years expereince I got interviews but jobs already had names on I was 7 months unemployed and looked for roles over the whole south of the UK, All the local big supermarkets had an employment freeze, even working 4 hours a week for a school was over subscribed, My OH however who wrls in customer service was not out of work for more than a week in all that time but sadly not enough to live on!
we have returned to NZ with a job offer for me and within 2 weeks OH was in work better paid than in the UK and where he worked in Wellington!

pain-in-spain

Things are difficult everywhere now, it's something I think we have to accept. I've been checking salaries in London for the kind of jobs I did 9 years ago and it's true they are much lower whilst cost of living is higher, it's the same here in Spain where salaries have always been pathetic and unemployment high. I am slightly concerned about comments like "recruiters are not particularly impressed with job seekers who have been expat for a few years", as I would think that would be a very blinkered view and the sheer fact that a potential candidate has had the nerve to change their lives abroad, find work in very adverse circumstances (like me here in Spain!) would show tenacity and confidence, not to mention the aspect of speaking another language fluently (most Brits don't). Certainly when I go back in a few months I will turn any wrongly perceived negatives into big positives, I didn't struggle and fight all these years in Barcelona to go back to my native London and be a wimp!!!

kmthor

Recruiters piss me off ... iv been on both sides having to hire and having to use them the thing that stands out like dogs b#%s is normally the recruiter doesn't have a clue about the industry.. well maybe not a clue but there is a lack of knowledge...

in fact i have spotted a few adds recently asked not to be contacted by agents and iv seen one offer a cash bonus on start not to use a agent

little tin gods that need taking down a peg or 2 imo

Jon77

Yes I think the job situation in the UK is as bad as the media portrays, and in some regional areas such as the North of England it may even be worse.

I am still in the UK at the moment and we received the news that the whole of our IT Support Department are being made redundant as it is being out sourced to save money. So that is 12 very good friends of mine out of work in the coming weeks.

The company I work for isn't doing as bad as many but to balance the books jobs still have to go, I fear that the IT Support Department will just be the start of a very diffcult few years for this company.

Overseas might not be any different and you can struggle to find work anywhere. But I am clinging on to my Australian PR for dear life right now as it is at least another option should the worst happen.

If the worst does happen for me, which is a real possibility I have to say, then I would struggle to get back in to the same area here. I know that from people I know who have been made redundant in the UK in the same profession.

I really feel for the youngsters aged 16 - 25 who are out of work right now, record levels of youth unemployment in the UK . And it shows from the number of kids I see hanging around our local high street during the working day. Always used to be a few, but many more now.

Sergia

The situation sounds pretty bad but in England the unemployment rate is around 7% however in Spain we have over 20% unemployed people and new jobs won´t be created in few years. I just hope I can find a teaching job back in England. Thanks