One way to kick-start your accounting career in Australia is to register with an online classified job board. There you will be sure of finding the latest jobs as they become available, so you can get your application and resume in amongst the first. Being one of the first applicants somehow seems to give you an advantage, as you are seen to be eager and prompt, both desirable attributes in an employee.

Much of the Australian finance industry is located in Sydney, with the Reserve Bank, the Australian Stock Exchange, and the Futures Exchange all based there. Add to that the several international firms that have Sydney as the base of their operations and it adds up to around 65% of the finance industry. Martin Place is the hub, with a mini-centre in Northern Sydney, just across the Harbour Bridge.

Melbourne is another large finance sector and offers career employment in broking, banking, investment banking and fund management. There are at least 600 financial institutions in the CBD and two of Australia’s largest banks have their headquarters in Melbourne. The thriving economy in Melbourne has seen the upsurge of many small to medium businesses and emerging industries.

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Other capital cities should not be left out of the picture as all have at least some opportunities for employment in an accounting career. Perth particularly has experienced a demand for qualified accountants and senior executives with up to six years of experience.

It is desirable that those intending to come to Australia should register with a job board as early as two years before their arrival date. But don’t apply for specific jobs until one month before arrival. While most jobs in accounting are long-term, there are some short -term or temporary jobs available to cover peak periods.

If you are hoping to advance or continue your career by coming to work in Australia from another country, you might find things a little different here. While Australia is known for its casual culture, businessmen and women must still be presentable and dress in suits, work from around 8 a.m. till 5p.m. and have half an hour for lunch. Working overtime is common and some business executives conduct their business over an extended lunch hour. Fridays can see business going on for longer than usual over drinks in the evening, especially in Sydney. Once you get the hang of how things operate, then you will have no trouble in getting the career you always wanted and enjoying life into the bargain.

Experts are predicting that the current financial climate will adversely affect jobs in Australia, with the worst affected being in the finance sector. Real estate, banking and construction are other industries that will be affected adversely, because those are the sectors in the US where the problem emanated from in the first place.

While traditionally a recession has most affected those on low incomes doing untrained work, this time – so the experts say – white-collar workers and those on high incomes will be affected first and foremost. While this is good news for those who are already struggling, their turn will come, with the recession affecting all sectors before finally taking itself off when the economy improves. At least that is what the doom and gloom-sayers predict.

However there is always hope of getting more work with all the advances in modern technology. Those who lose their jobs may quite easily pick up other work via online classified job sites. And these job opportunities will only increase because even though companies may lay off employees, the work still needs to be done. So they will look to outsource their work hoping to pay less than they would otherwise be paying.

Say a company sacks a big percentage of their employees but still wants to remain in business. One way they will save is by downgrading their office space. They won’t have to pay super or suffer loss through their employees’ sick days or holiday pay. But the work must still be done so they will advertise on those online classified jobs sites.

And even if they do want the employees to come into the office to work, they will have advertised the job for less remuneration than they were paying before. Therefore, those who are looking for jobs via online classified job sites are in luck because more job opportunities are likely to be coming their way.

So while unemployment may be unsettling many of us for some time to come, it is still possible to have hope, both for getting more work and for the recession to be over one day not too far down the track. And you never know but what it might impact you positively in the long run. That is, by getting you a different job and lifestyle – one you didn’t realize that you would enjoy a great deal more than the old one.