‘Tis the Season of the Backpacker

Mark Smith • September 3, 2018

Not only is the temperature starting to rise, leaves returning to the trees and flowers starting to bloom we also start to see the arrival of the backpacker in Australia. Like migrating birds, they all seem to know that summer is on its way and start to arrive en masse in Sydney and Melbourne. From all around the globe they appear, with particularly strong migrating from the UK and Ireland.

On arrival, backpackers start exploring the inner cities and their hostels, but in time, they are drawn to the Sydney beaches. Bondi, Manly, and “Ku Gee” or Coogee, to the locals. These beaches are particular favourites and they nearly always bunker down in share accommodation. After settling in, their next objective is to find work.

In all seriousness, the working holiday talent that is available to Australian business is a hugely valuable resource. At people2people, we have a very strong temporary and contract business that takes advantage of this talent pool. We connect and manage a community of working holidaymakers around Australia and New Zealand. Employers love to have temporary staff that are in many cases, over qualified, but are keen to just get working. They also enjoy the fact that they can have a temporary resource committed to an assignment, without any risk of them accepting a permanent job.

The next migratory move of our intrepid backpackers is around Easter, when they sense the cold and start to head north, stopping off at Byron Bay, amongst other coastal destinations, possibly Brisbane and right up to far north Queensland. Those who are keen to stay on another year do ‘farm work’ to get an extension on their visa. They will explore other cities again in the following year.

Backpackers or Working Holiday Makers live and work throughout Australia and New Zealand. With an office network covering Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, people2people are well placed to assist them with their job search and match them to employers looking to take advantage of their skills. You can learn more by calling 1300 121 727 in Australia and 0800 727 968 in NZ.

Discover JobPossum , our new working holiday makers platform. Find the job of your dreams in Australia and New Zealand!

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In business since 2002 in Australia, NZ, and the United Kingdom, people2people is an award-winning recruitment agency with people at our heart. With over 12 offices, we specialise in accounting and finance, business support, education, executive, government, HR, legal, marketing and digital, property, sales, supply chain, and technology sectors. As the proud recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Large Agency and Excellence in Candidate Care Awards, we are dedicated to helping businesses achieve success through a people-first approach.



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