I’ve written a series of stories looking at the job market for accounting students and graduates, the inclusion of the field on a list of in-demand occupations and the state of the jobs market.
It is an area where there is big money at stake (international students are a critical cash cow for universities) and conflicting views about the jobs market for accountants from the major accounting bodies (CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants ANZ), government agencies (the federal Department of Employment), accounting firms, universities and academics.
28 Oct 2014: Accounting bodies do about-face on jobs for foreign students
The major accounting bodies have, for the first time, publicly acknowledged the difficulties international accounting graduates have in finding professional work in Australia.
In an about-face, CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants ANZ now say the difficulties of overseas graduates have finding jobs are “well understood”, and they have “a number of programs in place at the local, state and federal level, and through universities around Australia aimed at supporting international students”.
The acknowledgement comes after the accounting bodies told the federal government last year of a shortage of accountants as part of a successful review to keep the occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL), which is a list of in-demand occupations.
28 Oct 2014: Job market dire for foreign students
International graduates find it extremely difficult to get professional work in Australia, despite having qualifications in areas of supposed skills shortages, a three-year study has found.
The accounting, nursing and engineering graduates in the study encountered multiple barriers to getting a job, including a tough jobs market and local firms unwilling to take on staff without permanent residency.
The Deakin University report, Australian International Graduates and the Transition to Employment, bluntly concludes international graduates without a permanent visa are unlikely to find work in their discipline area in Australia.
17 Sep 2014: Accounting still popular with overseas students despite tight jobs market
13 Aug 2014: Business put foreign accounting students in ‘too hard’ basket
9 Aug 2014: Little chance of a job for international accounting graduates
6 Aug 2014: $55,000 accounting degree doesn’t add up
23 Jul 2014: Labor calls for accounting to be taken off Skilled Occupation List
11 Jul 2014 ‘Fanciful projections’ leave accounting grads in the lurch
7 Jul 2014: Graduates hit by decision to retain skilled migrant status for accountants
20 Feb 2014: Accounting grads struggle to find work, but CPA says that doesn’t add up
19 Feb 2014: Australian students turn away from accounting