It’s no secret that the warm climate and casual lifestyle are prime attractions for recruiters chasing jobs in Australia. But the desire to reinvigorate careers that stalled during the economic downturn is also convincing British recruiters to apply for jobs down under, according to Karen Colfer, managing director, Kelly Services (Australia).

Colfer’s second recruiting trip to the UK in six months lured strong candidates with management experience and specialist technical sector skills from as far away as Scotland to London for interviews. Most applicants were recruiters working in small-to-medium sized (SMEs) recruitment firms, Colfer told Recruiter.

“I think they’re post-GFC [global financial crisis] weary,” she said of many candidates she had seen. “The GFC has pushed careers back, and I think people are weary and want to get their careers back on track. Not only is their career not progressing, they’re not seeing bigger bonuses either, and they’re also seeing friends’ career moves on LinkedIn.”

A day before her last round of screenings, Colfer planned to send nearly a dozen people on a second round of assessments. Recruiters selected to work in the profession in Australia must have either five years’ experience in recruitment or two years’ experience and a degree, under Australia working visa requirements. Kelly Services was looking for “strong communication skills, people with real courage and a big heart, who are willing to jump in feet first”, she said.

The UK is generally an excellent hunting ground for recruiters to work in Australia but the challenging UK economy will have added a new dimension to the skills of many recruitment managers “who have managed teams through tough times, real leaders who lead from the front”, she said. Such resilience is a highly desirable trait, even in the buoyant Australasia market, where business is booming and margins are high, she added.

The UK also offers a fresh injection of talent into the market. “Australia is a very small market. Everyone fishes from the same pond,” she said. “I’m not going to put all my eggs in one market.”