Australian Expats Head Home

Expat Globe

Australian expats are leaving their lives in Europe and returning back home in their thousands, according to research done by TrackMeBack.com.

The website claims that Aussie expats are leaving in their droves amid the spectre of economic recession in Europe. The claims coincide with figures from the UK Home Office which shows that the number of Australians coming to the UK looking for work in the last three years has dropped by 35%.

The website, which helps expatriate workers find jobs with firms in Australia and New Zealand conducted their own survey and concluded that job opportunities were the main reason for abandoning their lives working in Europe.

Caroline Rafferty, who is the general manager of Track Me Back claims that their business has tripled since 2010 and with “huge number of expats returning from home from the UK in particular.”

The Australian economy has managed to negate much of the impact of the global banking crisis and is enjoying a period of sustained growth in the labour market with Aussie expats “sick of the economic doom and gloom in the UK.”

Rafferty describes many of Australian expats as backpackers who thought they’d be gone for six months but have returned with spouses and families looking for long-term settlement.

Track Me Back includes large firms such as Glaxo Smith Kline, Ernst and Young and Allianz amongst their clients with Australians returning in their droves for jobs in professions such as pharmaceuticals, engineering and insurance.

The expats are described as being “degree qualified” with “ten or more years’ professional experience” Such experience is cited as being important in helping them find jobs back home.

In conjunction with tighter UK visa restrictions, the practicality of Australians living an expat lifestyle in the UK and across Europe has waned leaving Australia as the place to stay for its citizens.

Any Australian going home and leaving a paid up UK pension should consult an IFA.