In Australia, people look for work in four ways at once: job websites, agencies, handing in a CV in person and contacts. The Government of Western Australia warns that many jobs are not advertised. They are filled by recommendation or from waiting lists. So looking only at websites means missing part of the market.
Which job websites are used?
These are the ones named by Australian public bodies. You can filter by sector, type of work, place and hours.
| Website | What it is | Who names it |
|---|---|---|
| SEEK | General jobs | Study Australia and Tasmania |
| CareerOne | General jobs | Study Australia and Tasmania |
| Professional network with job ads | Study Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia | |
| Adzuna | General jobs | Study Australia |
| Indeed | General jobs | Tasmania |
| Gumtree | Classified ads | Tasmania |
| Backpacker Jobs | Aimed at people on a Working Holiday visa | Tasmania |
| Workforce Australia | Federal Government job board | Home Affairs leaflet |
Study Australia adds two more for students and recent graduates: Student Job Australia and GradAustralia.
Public job boards in each state
Each state has its own. These are the ones we were able to check:
- Western Australia: the free job board of the Jobs and Skills Centres. There are 15 centres, which also help with CVs and interviews. Phone: 13 64 64.
- Tasmania: the Regional Jobs Hub, at jt.tas.gov.au, which the state government cites for harvest work.
Facebook groups
Public pages mention these too. Western Australia cites "Perth Jobs" and Tasmania cites "Jobs Vacant and Wanted Tasmania". They are not official channels. WA ScamNet warns that fake job offers also appear on Facebook, with the signs you will see below.
The other routes
- Recruitment agencies: Study Australia explains that you write to them or phone them to ask for a meeting and join their database. Signing up with more than one gives you more options.
- Going in person: the Government of Western Australia cites turning up at businesses with a copy of your CV, even if they have no job advertised.
- Contacts: friends, family, classmates, clubs and local business owners. This is the route to jobs that are not advertised.
- Specific companies: following them on Facebook or LinkedIn helps you hear about their vacancies early.
- Newspapers: both Home Affairs and Western Australia still cite the job pages of newspapers.
What is usually needed before you start
- Tax file number (TFN): Study Australia says you need to apply for one and give it to the employer before you start. More in Money and tax.
- Bank account: it appears on the same list of steps to take first.
- An Australian-style CV: see what a CV for Australia looks like.
- Industry courses: the RSA for serving alcohol and the White Card for construction.
- Knowing what the pay is: pay depends on the sector, as explained in minimum wage and rights.
What work does a Working Holiday visa allow?
The Home Affairs leaflet for the 417 visa says you can work throughout your stay, anywhere, in any sector and any job. It also says the conditions of each visa can be checked in VEVO, the official visa checking service. There is a time limit with each employer, which we explain in how the visa works.
The rules differ between the 417 and the 462 and depend on your country. They are in visa by country.
Do you need to speak English?
It depends on your visa and your passport. The leaflet cited above, written for people from Japan, says that the 417 visa does not require you to prove your English. It does advise having enough to get by. What is asked in your case is in visa by country.
Where is the work, city by city?
Each city page sums up the sectors with a real presence, without promising anything: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Cairns. If you are looking for harvest work, see farm work.
How to spot a fake job offer
Home Affairs warns that criminals promise work or residency to get money. WA ScamNet, the Western Australian anti-scam service, describes these signs:
- They ask you for money: for a course, a uniform, a background check or "work materials".
- They ask for your bank details too soon: before any real hiring has happened, to "process your application".
- They charge you to see job ads: a subscription to a jobs list or to online training.
- A lot of money for very little: for example, being paid to receive money into your account and send it on. According to WA ScamNet, that is money laundering and is illegal, even if the offer looks like a normal job.
- Fake cheques: these are typical of supposed "mystery shopper" jobs.
A polished website proves nothing, because these ads use the names of real companies. There is another sign once you are already working: being asked for an ABN (business number) when you have a boss. Study Australia explains that the ABN is, in general, for people who work for themselves.
To report a scam, WA ScamNet answers on 1300 30 40 54 and has a form on its website.
What we could not confirm
- Which website gives the most results: we have no data, and the order of the table is not a ranking.
- Private websites: we could not check the pages of SEEK, Adzuna and Indeed. We cite them because public bodies name them.
- Workforce Australia: its search did not load when we opened it, so we have not seen its job ads. It has a harvest section whose content we could not read either.
- Scamwatch: we could not check the federal scam service. That is why we use the Western Australian one.
- Other states: we have not checked the public job boards of the other states.
Sources
All seen on 5 November 2026.
- Finding work while you study, Study Australia, official.
- Preparing for work, Study Australia, official.
- Are your work rights at risk?, Study Australia, official.
- JobsWA, Jobs and Skills WA, official, Government of Western Australia.
- Harvest Jobs, Tasmanian Government, official.
- FAQs for Japanese workers applying for Working Holiday Makers visa, Home Affairs, on the Embassy in Tokyo website, 30 September 2024, embassy. Written for Japan.
- Job and employment scams, WA ScamNet, official, Government of Western Australia.
- WA ScamNet home page, official.