Skilled Migrants Employment forum

The feedback on the DutchSA Employment forum for Skilled Migrants on 21st Feb at Hilton Adelaide was overwhelmingly positive. It confirmed how relevant the discussion about employability for many ‘new Australians' is. Migrants bring a wealth of unique skills and experiences into the country, but how to best fit in and get the opportunity to prove these skills? For many it is hard to break into the employment market, or find work on their own level.

During the forum a panel of four experts gave their view on the local job market, each from their own perspective: Mark Glazbrook (Migration), Amanda Bald (Santos - Employer), Pippa Webb (Government) and Arthur Key (Recruitment). They shared many relevant insights for all participants, but a few stood out: (1) for many reasons the ‘skills in demand' list does not match the actual vacancies in SA; (2) applicants should focus on making it easy for employers to interpret their CV and cover letter; (3) there is lots of help available for job seekers from a myriad of local organisations; (4) it is better not to ‘dumb down' your CV just to get into the employment market; (5) Migrants should be proud of their background and sell the positives they bring.

​It is very encouraging for DutchSA to see how many people from different backgrounds participated in this event. It emphasizes that we are all in the same boat and that diversity is what we have in common here in SA. Thanks everyone for joining.