The COVID-19 pandemic and the strict Government restrictions implemented in response to the pandemic has seen devasting impacts on the Australian economy with the Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealing
that two thirds (66%) of Australian businesses have reported that their
cash flow has reduced and nearly half (47%) of businesses have had to
make changes to their staffing by reducing hours, letting go off staff
or asking staff to work from home as a result of COVID-19.
Thousands of Australians have lost their jobs and images of kilometre-long lines outside Centrelink have broken
the hearts of many in our community. Unfortunately, it is predicted
that unemployment numbers will continue to rise as many more business are forced to shut down due reduced demand in the current COVID-19 climate.
The disruption to the Australian economy has certainly impacted the Australian Sikh population, which has risen by 400% in the last 10 years. This includes thousands
of international students and migrants in our community, many of whom
are unfortunately not entitled to Government relief or benefits to get
them through these difficult times.
So what can you do if you’ve lost your job?
Be proactive at finding a temporary alternative
It is important that international students and temporary work visa holders who have lost their jobs or are facing substantial hardships
adopt a proactive approach now towards sourcing gainful employments to
stay afloat in these unprecedented times. This may mean accepting a job which does
not necessarily match your skillset but is simply a temporary solution
to continue to pay the bills and provide the basic necessities.
Focus on in-demand roles and industries
The
good news is that the ABS data has revealed that there are many
industries that have been required to hire a substantial number of extra
employees due to an increase in demand.
Below is a list of these industries, employers that are hiring and links to their hiring portals.
Supermarkets: Coles is looking to hire an additional 5,000 casual workers, Woolworths is looking to fill 20,000 positions nationwide and ALDI is also hiring to meet the recent increase in demand.
Federal Health: The Federal Health Department is looking to hire
those with qualifications in public health, epidemiology, data
analysis, laboratories, emergency management and communications and
media.
Queensland Health: Queensland Health is recruiting
staff across the fields of medical, nursing and midwifery, allied
health, administrative support, operational and dental.
Delivery services: Domino’s Pizza is looking to hire around 2,000 workers to join their delivery workforce. Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Menulog are also hiring casual workers.
BHP: BHP need an estimated 1,000 staff in Queensland and 1,500 across Australia to support its mining operations.
Jobs include machinery and production operators, truck and ancillary
equipment drives, excavator operators, diesel mechanics, trades
assistants, electricians, cleaners and warehousing roles.
The federal government has consolidated job openings from some of Australia’s biggest employers and created a website where you can search job opportunities (by employer or by location). You can access this here: www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/jobs-hub
StillHiring.com.au
StillHiring
is a free site created to assist people in Australia and New Zealand to
find out where the jobs really are, and in what categories and
locations. You can access this here: www.stillhiring.com.au
YSPN free CV checks
The YSPN Team is offering free CV checks and general career counselling advice to support our community during these tough times. For help on your CV or to find ways to improve it, send your CV and/or any questions to the email address below and we’ll reply back to you with feedback.
Note: The information above has been compiled using publicly available data and is current as at 15 April 2020. The figures and vacancies noted above are estimates only and may have changed as relevant employers continue to fill positions. While we have done our utmost to ensure the information in this article is comprehensive, up to date and as accurate as possible, we do not guarantee that this is the case and make no representation, statement or warranty to that effect. We are not responsible for any loss or liability you may incur in connection with the information provided here. In the event you do find a mistake please contact us (via email, Facebook or Instagram) so we can issue a correction as soon as possible and minimise any further impact.
Folding his hands and greeting his entire audience with a ‘Sat Shri Akal’ was how our guest, Rashpal Bhatti, greeted and stole the attention of all the attendees during our marquee event. Donned in a crisp white turban and a finely stitched suit, no one would have imagined the Vice President Marketing (Freight) of BHP would have exuded this extent of humility to his audience.
In his calm and soft-spoken voice, Rashpal shared with his audience that he owed his success to his parents who immigrated to Britain in the 1960s from Nairobi, Kenya. Life for his family was not a piece of cake, as they had to go through periods of racial discrimination and being ostracised by many individuals who failed to recognise their identity and respect the background they came from. That did not stop Rashpal’s parents from working hard to provide him with the best education they possibly could. This was when Rashpal’s innate drive and mission to make his parents proud began as he excelled in his academics across various renowned education institutions in Britain.
Confidently quoting various verses from the Guru Granth Sahib and then translating it into English, Rashpal engaged the audience and shared with great conviction on the importance of humility and lifelong learning to be successful at whatever anyone pursued – one of the tenets of Sikhism. Rashpal then progressed to engage the audience with his personal experiences of being adaptive, resilient and agile to be a more effective leader in his organisation.
During the span of his career working across various multinational organisations, Rashpal admits that his journey was far from easy. He faced several challenges but modestly admits how he overcame them by developing his resilience and his ability to rebound, managing his level of mental and emotional openness and also focussing on continuous development to bring him to where he stands today.
Rashpal ended his talk with a famous quote from the late Sumantra Ghoshal, an Indian scholar: “Leaders are not paid to preside over the inevitable; they are paid to make it happen what otherwise would not have happened.” This quote left the entire audience in awe on how Rashpal could articulate his thoughts and communicate his experiences through a mix of spirituality, facts and faith.
After the event, there was immense positive feedback from the audience. For Joel Lim, an intern at Navitas, said that this was the first YSPN event he attended. Beaming from ear to ear, Joel said, “I am greatly impressed by the event as well as the valuable opportunity to network with Rashpal and other honourable guests from diverse careers. I look forward to attend future events organised by YSPN Perth.”
There is something incredibly enthralling about our human capacity to connect, to love and to put a piece of our minds and hearts into something that is not ourselves. Look at a mother’s love; a teacher’s commitment or a musician’s devotion to their art.
On the weekend of the 16th/17th September, I spent the better part of 48 hours with a group of thirty-something young leaders intent on pouring themselves, wholly and without hesitation, into an organisation and vision that transcended their own.
The 2017 Young Sikh Professional Network’s Leadership Summit was more than a weekend of strategy and planning; it was proof of the power that a giving and committed collective wield – a fitting reminder of Margaret Mead’s insistence that we must never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and dedicated citizens can, indeed, change the world.
2017 has seen the birth of YSPN’s first international chapter; our entity is new with a membership that calls a sleepy cluster of islands at the bottom of the world home. We have always looked up at the flourishing diaspora of apne (our own) across the Tasman Sea, our eyes wide and admiring, like an eager younger sibling wanting to join in. In July this year, we launched YSPN in New Zealand to a room of over 100 young professionals. In conversation with these young people, one particularly compelling sentiment resounded, and in reflecting on the success of the launch, it occurred to me that it wasn’t just the stunning venue, or the wisdom shared by our guest speakers, or even the relevance of the kaupapa (the agenda) of the event that made that launch a success – it was simply that YSPN was needed.
Being a part of YSPN’s international expansion is exciting as it is: to be able to take bold actions and make brave moves in creating conditions for our young people to succeed is, in equal parts, exhilarating, humbling and fulfilling. To be a young Sikh woman learning to enact a purposeful leadership in sewa (service) of our community is a whole new experience of empowerment.
Of course, this endeavour is not without challenge. There is an entrenched status quo; a slowly unravelling youth apathy; the navigation of a previously uncharted space where ‘us’ and ‘them’ meet and of course, the inevitable roadblocks of any pioneering effort. Being the first people to do something for the first time demands tenacity and tact – a learning familiar to those who have worked tirelessly over the years to make YSPN what it is today in Australia, and a learning that we carry as we approach these challenges face-on in our city.
The fruits of a mother’s love, a teacher’s commitment or a musician’s devotion to their art are plentiful. With our sibling chapters as our muse, an incredibly adept team on the ground, and a weekend spent at the Summit enveloped in the wairua (spirit) of an enduring commitment to the cause, I cannot wait to be witness to the impact YSPN will undoubtedly have on our young people, our community, and our legacy.
The GC2018 Multicultural Community Ambassador Program has been developed to engage cultural communities, working with community leaders to maximise awareness and engagement and drive attendance to events. There will be 400multicultural community ambassadors from communities across Australia representing Commonwealth nations. YSPN is honoured to be represented by two Brisbane-based team members – Manpreet Kaur and Simran Kaur.
Participation in the program is on an honorary volunteer basis and multicultural community ambassadors are selected by appointment only and are key community influencers who are acknowledged leaders in the following areas:
Community organisations
Sports players, fans and administrators
Local Government
Community VIP/ Celebrity/ Social
Community media
Community festivals
Student groups
Embassies/ Consulate
The role of a Multicultural Community Ambassador is provide for a successful GC2018 Commonwealth Games, through the following initiatives:
To promote GC2018 through events, social media and personal networks
Where possible and relevant promote GC2018 through community organisation
channels and groups
Provide cultural entertainment options for events
Group ticket sales to create community fan bays
We are so proud of you Manpreet and Simran, congratulations again!
IABCA celebrates the Australia-India relationship while honouring migrant entrepreneurship and community leadership. The awards acknowledge migrants and organisations, who have achieved and contributed to our Australia. The IABCA raises awareness of Indians in Australia and Australians in India, encouraging further growth in relations between the two countries.
YSPN was nominated under the Community Excellence category, in recognition of being the largest professional network targeted at Sikhs in the world, and hosted over 45 marquee events since being founded in 2012.
To read more about our nomination, check out the IABCA category page. You can learn more about YSPN, our mission and success to date through our About Us page.
