Millennials Believe Working In Australia Is So Ten Years Ago

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Research released by specialist recruitment firm Robert Walters has found that 9 out of 10 Millennials would prefer to work overseas than stay in Australia.

More than 1000 professionals were surveyed and a huge 87 per cent said that employers should offer international career opportunities as part of their training and development programs, and 88 per cent would value these opportunities.

James Nicholson, managing director of Robert Walters ANZ, commented on the study: “Millennials, or Gen Y, have grown up in a borderless world with greater access to international travel, so their sights are set high to begin with.

“With a lot of discussion around economic downturn locally, we are seeing a reverse trend from the post-GFC period when we were dealing with an influx of foreign workers looking for gainful employment.

“With market sentiment changing somewhat, we are seeing a drive to go overseas stemming from a sense of instability in our local market. Millennials are incredibly driven and have high expectations for career growth with international experience viewed as critical, so employers need to be keenly aware of this.

“It is also alarming that most organisations aren’t offering these overseas opportunities. Organisations wanting to attract and retain good talent should look to develop international opportunities for their employees. For local companies, this could mean developing partnerships with likeminded organisations overseas to fulfil this growing demand.”

Other findings from the study:

A majority of employers think Millennials would leave their organisation if they didn’t invest in emerging technologies (87 per cent), however just over half of Millennials would consider leaving their job if their employer didn’t invest in technology.
Most Millennials specified that they work because they want to earn money to support their lifestyle (35 per cent), or because they want to fulfil their potential (35 per cent).
When assessing the personal characteristics that are most important in a manager, Millennials rated ‘Recognising performance’ (70 per cent), ‘Being open to ideas and feedback’ (69 per cent) and ‘Being accessible and easily available’ (54 per cent) most highly.
Exactly half the Millennials surveyed felt that their employer has an adequate plan for their career progression.

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