Recruiters snapping up Victorian talent fleeing state amid COVID uncertainty

Victorians who are sick of the constant threat of lockdown are leaving in droves. Here’s where they’re going.

Victoria’s “brain drain” has only just begun as interstate recruiters head hunt disenchanted workers fleeing the stop-start economy and constant threat of COVID-19 lockdown.

Experts said Victorian professionals had always been targeted for candidate-short job markets but relocation had become easier to sell.

Exclusive figures from job site SEEK revealed the portion of Victorians applying for interstate roles increased from 21 per cent in 2018 to 27 per cent in 2021.

Over the past six months, Melbourne jobseekers made up the largest portion of interstate applicants in Adelaide (8.6 per cent of all applicants), Sydney (7.7 per cent), Brisbane (6.9 per cent) and Perth (6.4 per cent).

Melbourne jobs were also the least likely to attract external talent, with only a quarter of applicants coming from outside the city, compared to two out of every five applicants for Brisbane and Adelaide jobs.

South Australian recruiter Sullivan Consulting managing director Andrew Sullivan said they were definitely targeting people from Victoria and other states with opportunities.

Recruiter Andrew Sullivan says there are plenty of reasons for Victorians to relocate to South Australia. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“People are rattled by the lockdown and stop-start economy over there, whereas we (South Australia) got through it pretty unharmed and it’s business as usual,” Mr Sullivan said.

“We have been making a conscious effort to encourage Victorians to think of SA as an alternative.

“Dan Andrews did throw a passing shot when COVID was (at its peak), saying ‘why would you want to go to SA?’

“Well in response to Dan, people are wanting to come to SA and get out of the lockdowns.”

Randstad Sourceright general manager Angela Anasis said recruiters were particularly head hunting Melbourne talent that had links to their city – for example, if they previously lived there or had family there.

“(Recruiters) might know them personally through their own networks and contacts but it doesn’t take a genius to do a search on LinkedIn to see where they went to school and who is in their networks,” she said.

“It’s about the relationship with the candidate, particularly if head hunting, to understand what are the key drivers for them.”

Randstad Sourceright’s Angela Anasis says family ties. Picture: Supplied

OnTalent chief executive Natasha Olsson-Seeto placed three Melburnian executives into Brisbane roles during the pandemic, which she said was a definite increase.

One executive completed onboarding while in hotel quarantine.

“Because we are an executive search firm, we target wherever the talent is and in the last 12 months that has frequently been Melbourne,” Ms Olsson-Seeto said.

“The view is that (in Brisbane) you are less likely to keep going back into lockdowns.

“They are also worried about the future of the Melbourne economy.

“For an ambitious CEO, they see more opportunities in the Queensland market now than in Victoria.

“The confidence generally in Victoria is lower.”

OnTalent’s Natasha Olsson-Seeto has been recruiting Melbourne executives for Brisbane roles. Picture: Supplied

Drake International chief executive Christopher Ouizeman said it was not just executives who were leaving Melbourne.

Hospitality and retail workers unable to find work during lockdowns were trying their luck elsewhere.

“It is the lack of consistent work which has driven the exodus,” Mr Ouizeman said.

“We are talking not so much about the people on government welfare programs – if they are used to earning that type of income they are happy to remain and take handouts.

“The exodus is people who have earned much more than the government handouts and can’t survive on that amount, they are the ones moving interstate so it’s purely an economic decision.”

Workers are trading Melbourne offices for a more tropical work setting. Picture: iStock

Meanwhile, the Cairns Chamber of Commerce and Cairns Regional Council are taking the opportunity to launch websites aiming to attract more workers and small businesses to Northern Queensland.

Chamber president and CBC Staff Selection director Sally Mlikota said a group of local business professionals had started a Move Your Job to Cairns campaign to encourage people from Melbourne and other cities to either apply for Cairns’ roles or work remotely from the region.

“(Many people) have been living in Cairns at their Airbnb or holiday home that they couldn’t rent out (because of international border closures) and telecommuting to Melbourne and now their bosses are saying ‘we would like you back in the office a few days a week’ they are saying ‘I would like to stay here’,” she said.

“We don’t have hundreds of thousands of jobs in Cairns but if you have specialist skills and want to consider it, reach out and make the call.

“Once it starts up again, we do have the international airport and two universities and a very good hospital, so we have all that infrastructure here, you don’t miss out on much.”