Lots of sunshine, lots of opportunity and a warm welcome - Western Australia.

Standard Life recently put Australia in second place for top retirement hotspots outside the UK.  Anglo Pacific International plc places it even higher at number one with 43% of its container shipments of household effects going to Australia in 2010.  And, with Western Australia’s current campaign to woo British brains, expect this trend to continue.

At a recent Working In Expo held in London, Hon Peter Collier MLC, Western Australia’s Minister for Training and Workforce Development, put forward a strong case for skilled Brits to migrate to the State that he calls “God’s given country”.  Anglo Pacific’s International Migration Manager, Noel Glavin, was there.  “Western Australia comprises one third of Australia’s entire land mass, larger than the whole of Europe, yet has just 10% of the population – some two million,” said Noel. “Resource rich, there are huge prospects for agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, the automotive industry and more but also a vast labour shortage of 150,000 workers.  Western Australia has 225 billion Australian dollars’ worth of investment opportunities on the table, around 150 billion pounds, yet if they don’t correct this labour deficit, then these investment opportunities will simply be lost.  Western Australia’s recruitment drive is a serious matter.” 

Noel continued, “The local labour supply is maxed out - if they want to work, they are working.  Australians don’t tend to migrate state to state, so Western Australia must find its skilled workforce elsewhere with Brits heavily favoured.  Migration is nothing new for Australia, 34% of its population was not born there.  There are more than 1.2 million UK-born people living in the country, making the UK the main source of new migrants to Australia.  If interested Britons have an occupation on the Western Australia Skilled Migration Occupation list, visas are currently taking between nine and 12 months to process.  Visa applications with State Sponsorship nomination are given higher priority – perhaps four to six months.”

Hon Peter Collier MLC concluded his London seminar by highlighting Western Australia’s gorgeous beaches, sunny Mediterranean-style climate, outdoor lifestyle and fantastic education and healthcare systems.  He said, “I have one unambiguous transparent message – you are welcome.”