What's it REALLY like in NSW & Vic?

[Crazy Dazz]

Just curious if it is as dire as people make out? All I ever see on the news is more factories closing or more people being laid off. My daughters have recently moved to Melbourne to study, an dthey can’t believe how cheap everything is and how hard it is to find work.

I don’t know if WA still meets the definition of “booming,” it’s a little quieter on the new project front this year, but I don’t think we’ve slipped any. There’s mostly still plenty of work, labour is obscenely expensive, and the real estate market is going nuts again. Many new projects are just waiting to see when and if Abbott will repeal the mining and carbon taxes. If that happens, this place will go OFF.

I keep reading that people don’t want to buy big cars anymore, etc, etc. I’d like to see the State by State breakdown, because in WA new car sales are going gangbusters, and the impression I get is that demand for HSV, FPV, and big stinking 4wds remains strong. (Unfortunately WA is still a relatively small market, we still only buy 1/3 the number of passenger vehicles as NSW.)

[tranquilized]

Everything seems fine in my little sheltered inner-Melbourne bubble. Not sure about new car sales though, lucky to see one FPV a month on the roads around here, and not many more HSV's.

[beardo]

I'm sort of near Melbourne and have found looking for work to be pretty difficult but there seems to be shitloads of new HSV's getting around so someone is getting the good jobs

[revcore]

Most things in WA tend to be more expensive due to the geographic isolation of the place. Freight prices are higher because fuel prices are higher...It all has a flow on effect.

[BPXR6T]

Being a consultant software architect our company gets hammered when the economy drops off. Clients stop spending on projects and we sit on the bench or take reduced hours. If its any indicator right now I'm working up to 80hrs a week. We're importing employees from anywhere we can get them. Definitely not seeing a lack of business confidence, it's all go go go...

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by BPXR6T

Being a consultant software architect our company gets hammered when the economy drops off. Clients stop spending on projects and we sit on the bench or take reduced hours. If its any indicator right now I'm working up to 80hrs a week. We're importing employees from anywhere we can get them. Definitely not seeing a lack of business confidence, it's all go go go...

Are you in NSW or VIC? I'm also in software, and since relocating from Melbourne to Sydney six months ago, I've been doing 100 hours a week of work and salary is high into the six figures. Melbourne seems to be heading in the direction of Adelaide economy-wise.

[BPXR6T]

Melbourne and Sydney but he bulk of our work is in Melbourne. We work in a pretty diverse set of industry verticals. Entertainment, logistics, finance, government, telcos. All are going nuts. We've lost a couple of new employees who weren't up to spec. They all found new jobs within days...

[fanboi]

there is always work anywhere you go if you are willing to do anything

[in_xcess]

There's this amazing place that has the highest education standards in Australia, plenty of jobs, not too expensive to live, 300 days of sunshine per year and you can drive from one end to the other and it won't cost you one single cent in tolls...

[Kometes]

It might be sunny but it sure as hell isn't warm!
I'm in Sydney working as an engineer and while it's gotten a bit quieter this year we're definitely busy. Plenty of decent infrastructure projects running in rail and roads.
The other job in motorsport was looking a bit grim with drivers having trouble with sponsors etc but it's not dead by any stretch of the imagination.

[FGII-XR6]

at my work we are always screaming out for drivers. we need about 8 at the moment. so there is work around if you want it

[sico]

Melbournes not great.
Excess labour supply means wages are low.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Depends on the industry down here in Melbourne. My work just gave out 3 redundancies last week and they only employ about 50 workers.

It fluctuates but certain sectors are always busy. Manufacturing (the sector I'm in) is in the toilet.

Property prices are still low but on the improve.

I agree with beardo though, there seems to be a surplus of VE HSVs on the roads. Plus there are quite a few AMGs around too. And I just travel from an industrial town to a small low income town, this isn't even in the city itself.

[Bowser22]

For me, the high dollar and low aluminium LME prices are killing my work. Manufacturing is never going to be the same in this country again. All the old plants won't be replaced as it will cost too much and most businesses will not get energy cheap enough to survive. The mining boom saved the country, at the cost of manufacturing. Time will tell if was done the right way

[grandpa_spec_F6]

I'd imagine it's much like here in QLD.

We have sunrise

We have sunset

... and we have a job market that rivals a nuns bottom (<-- Come ON word filter that's just anatomy!! stupid words...)

[ebxr82nv]

Originally Posted by Bowser22

For me, the high dollar and low aluminium LME prices are killing my work. Manufacturing is never going to be the same in this country again. All the old plants won't be replaced as it will cost too much and most businesses will not get energy cheap enough to survive. The mining boom saved the country, at the cost of manufacturing. Time will tell if was done the right way

Tell me about it I work in an alo smelter and all we get is moan and groan about how bad prices are and how we need to cut costs.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

Depends on the industry down here in Melbourne. My work just gave out 3 redundancies last week and they only employ about 50 workers.

It fluctuates but certain sectors are always busy. Manufacturing (the sector I'm in) is in the toilet.

Yeah, that was the impression I was getting.

To be honest, it is also bad for manufacturing here in WA, fabricators cannot get workers, their operating costs are high, and imports so much cheaper. For the individual businesses it is a nightmare. But WA is way less dependent on manufacturing than NSW, Vic, or SA. So on the whole we are probably way in front.

Originally Posted by Bowser22

For me, the high dollar and low aluminium LME prices are killing my work. Manufacturing is never going to be the same in this country again. All the old plants won't be replaced as it will cost too much and most businesses will not get energy cheap enough to survive. The mining boom saved the country, at the cost of manufacturing. Time will tell if was done the right way

And that's the SAD part. The mining boom SHOULD have generated more work for Australian manufacturing, but instead we buy everything from China.

[BennyH]

Like anywhere, I suppose it depends on what industry someone giving their thoughts are in. I work for a high end landscaping company, when times are tough the industry certainly feels it (I'm sure like everyone else), but we are absolutely flat out. The amount of money being splashed around is incredible at the moment. With that said, I have been receiving weekly calls from concrete companies wanting to pour for us as the building sector hasn't been pouring as many house slabs as they would like. As far as Vic cars go, I have nothing to really compare to, but Clubsports are everywhere, alot of cashed up trady toys, alot of crap boxes as well, seems to be lot of luxury european cars. But when it comes to basing cars on the financial situation, god knows how big someones loan is.

[Bowser22]

Originally Posted by ebxr82nv

Tell me about it I work in an alo smelter and all we get is moan and groan about how bad prices are and how we need to cut costs.

I too am in the smelting game. Where are you?

[Bowser22]

Originally Posted by BennyH

Like anywhere, I suppose it depends on what industry someone giving their thoughts are in. I work for a high end landscaping company, when times are tough the industry certainly feels it (I'm sure like everyone else), but we are absolutely flat out. The amount of money being splashed around is incredible at the moment. With that said, I have been receiving weekly calls from concrete companies wanting to pour for us as the building sector hasn't been pouring as many house slabs as they would like. As far as Vic cars go, I have nothing to really compare to, but Clubsports are everywhere, alot of cashed up trady toys, alot of crap boxes as well, seems to be lot of luxury european cars. But when it comes to basing cars on the financial situation, god knows how big someones loan is.

Spot on

[Barnaby]

Doing embedded development in Country Vic. If there wasn't gov. handouts here, we would be screwed! Irrigation industry is doing well (unless your a farmer!), but in a year or two the game will be up.

[Bowser22]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

And that's the SAD part. The mining boom SHOULD have generated more work for Australian manufacturing, but instead we buy everything from China.

If you live in Vicco, Ballarat is the best example of should be left after a mining boom. (For all who are unaware of Ballarat's history, it was the epicentre of the gold rush in Vic and is one of the greatest country cities in the state.) I believe this will not reoccur when his mining boom lapses as no real effort has been put in place long term. Just get it out of the ground and on the ship asap. Both sides of politics have let us down over the last decade. And no I don't have the answer.

P.S..... I need to learn to multi-quote

[Franco Cozzo]

We've got the strongest OH&S laws in the country geared towards the employee, and its only a matter of time before we get fed the BS WHS everyone else has signed.