Glut of Australian accounting graduates means they need to look to Asia, Europe for jobs

The sooner Accounting is removed from the Skills Shortage List the better things will be for Australian Accountants. The 457 Visa System is a RORT benefitting Educational Institutions and perhaps even "our" professional bodies: CPA, ICAA & IPA. There is NO SKILLS SHORTAGE of Accountants here in Australia. How do I know this? As an Accountant, yes with professional membership of one of those governing bodies mentioned above, I have been seeking employment for over two years since being made redundant. I have a very small Accounting business bringing in less than $ 10,000 per annum (GROSS). No I'm not in receipt of any Governernment assistance, I want to work not "bludge". I have applied for over 500 jobs without success and have it on good authority from recruiters that several hundred people may apply for one job. So a "skills shortage" or "work choices" with another label. I wonder just how many Accountants here in Australia are aware of the problems. I suspect they may find out if they ever lose their job. I'd like to see those governing bodies tell it how it really is instead of perpetuating the myth. Don't expect any help from having professional membership.

I am an Australian graduate who graduated with a accounting degree in the middle of 2012. I have unfortunately been unable to find any accounting work. Most grad programs have very high requirements from grads applying as there are simply too many accounting grads. Most grad jobs want some one with a Distinction+ average, 2 years relevant experience and to be halfway through their CPA/CA studies.

I have been studying the CPA for a year and a half and this has not helped me get any form of accounting work. CPA have not provided any assistance when i asked them for help to find work. I have just completed a Microsoft Excel course and i know it wont help me as well.

Getting jobs like book keeping, accounts payable, accounts clerk are impossible as i am told i dont have experience or i am too overqualified. I have tried calling smaller firm offering to work for free/work experience and all of them said they dont have the capacity to give work experience. The only places that give work experience are the larger firms but they are just for second year uni students.

Also in regards to smaller firms: they are notorious for hiring international students and paying them poor wages. These firms pay international grads 25-30k a year, and the partners/directors like them because they are very submissive and more desperate for work then australians. How do i know this? When i go to CPA events i meet my old university friends (who are internationals) and they have grad roles in these places. I went for a job interview at a small suburban firm which had a salary of only 25k and there were 10 chinese students waiting in line to be interveiwed.
I beleive even Telstra has changed their rules and allowed international students with no PR to apply for there graduate program.

Small firms also like to pay international accountants from say the UK or NZ that are CA's small wages because they are desperate for work, instead of hiring australians or even hiring grads and training them up.

Accounting in australia is a joke and dead end. CPA and CA should be looking after australian accountants but they just want to destroy our industry. What a joke

I agree completely that there is an oversupply of accountants from all over, because any accounting work regardless of the field tax, bookkeeping, consulting, etc. First of all accounting is really not that hard, the roles are often overly promoted to look fancy, but at the end of the day its repetitive work that I could teach a mature high school student to do without any qualifications. Also the CA/CPA over-emphasize that there is an undersupply of accountants just maintain and increase fee levels for the members so people on their executive boards can maintain their high salaries.

Absolutely no doubt - there is a massive oversupply of qualified and experienced accountants in Australia - unless you have very niche skills the competition is intense. It is not uncommon for 200 - 300 applicants to respond to a vacancy on Seek. Recruitment consultants are often overwhelmed by the number of qualified and experienced candidates. A significant number of senior candidates (10 years + experience in management roles) are unemployed and looking for work. In a very tight market employer's are applying increasingly stringent criteria in the recruitment process.
This is not an issue of qualifications or experience – it's simply that with the exception of a few niche areas the market for accountants is now saturated.
At the same time the gap between market reality and perception in some quarters is bewildering- Australia's peak accounting bodies recently pushed back against a proposal to remove accountants from skills in demand list for immigration.
Overseas Australia is being sold to accountants as a land of milk and honey where accountants are in short supply - take this article headline "Strong job prospects for accountants in Australia" published in CIMA's Insight February 2014
The oversupply will take a long time to resolve - especially in a faltering economy – but the longer it takes to recognise and take steps to resolve – the more serious it will become.

All professional staff aim to be the best in their chosen career, improving, honing their skills. When they know they are at the top of their game, they don't expect to be taken out by this type of nonsense. It a fair go, non nonsense culture, ability, performance and skill based.

When we look to the olympics over the next few weeks, I am sure the medals will be based on performance, ability, years of honing their skills, and the olympians don't expect to be taken off the podium, or from the starting line because the numbers are against them, or the judge has a niece or nephew who would like to run and deserves a place, younger, or better looking, and just looks so snappy with the attitude.

These special selections are the ones that will cost the business (country) large sums of money, and financial distress. I've seen it many times.