International graduates’ endeavours for work in Australia: Experiences of international graduates of accounting transitioning into the Australian labour market

ABSTRACT

Australia’s economy in the 21st century is distinguished by broad economic diversification, markedly the spread of skilled services including 'education, financial services, scientific research and technological innovation, infrastructure management, energy transmission and many others' (Schedvin, 2008, p. 454). This has led to increasing demand for qualified accountants. With 168,200 employed accountants in May 2012, accountancy is now a large employing profession in Australia (DEEWR, 2012d). A review of recent documents reveals that concerns about international students’ outcomes have increased in recent years. University programs in business, management and accounting are highly popular with international students studying at Australian universities, growing from 15,657 international student commencements in 2002 to 32,592 commencements in 2011.