When it came to the pandemic in Australia, each of the states had a unique experience with different levels of restrictions on how we work and live. Queensland managed to stay unscathed so far in 2021 although experts are now pushing vaccination targets as they advise us that we will not be able to avoid a Delta outbreak forever.

This has meant that to the average east coast Australian lawyer, Queensland has appeared very attractive. We have the beaches, the outdoor lifestyle, the sunshine and a mild winter. We also have managed to keep our economy mostly open, with people enjoying restaurants, theatres, gyms and events throughout 2021.

To our colleagues in locked-down-forever Melbourne and those that did 107 days of lockdown in Sydney, the grass certainly may appear greener over the northern border.

This article from the ABC from earlier in the year suggests that 25,000 people moved to Queensland in 2020. This migration has had an impact on housing prices and rental availability. It is a product of ex-pats returning home and unhappy workers in Melbourne and Sydney relocating. We wonder what the final figures for 2021 will be like!

The Migration North

How this has translated into the QLD legal recruitment market is that National firms had a lot of requests from interstate team members to relocate to Brisbane. Having learned from almost 2 years of working from home that they really could do a lot of their role from anywhere, they wanted the lifestyle benefits of Queensland, but to keep their client work which essentially was based in the southern states. They also wanted to keep their Melbourne/ Sydney salaries.

Not all firms agreed, with many negotiating internal relocation salaries down to Queensland levels arguing that the cost of living was cheaper. Queensland branches of national firms made desks available where they could be to retain the talent within the organisation, but this has had an impact on office space in Brisbane.

Firms found that relocating lawyers were offering to pay their own way to attend their home office to visit interstate clients. It is difficult for a firm to argue that a job can’t be done from anywhere, when an employee has managed to prove exactly that by working from home for the last 2 years.

This has led to a mystery in Brisbane law firms. They keep hearing about all this talent migrating north. Where are they all? And why are they not applying for our available roles?

We have heard stories about lawyers who have successfully negotiated internal relocations and moved with their families to the sunshine state. Some are working in a hybrid existence from a CBD office tower for part of the week and the remainder on the sunshine coast with their families. Others are working remotely as far away as Cairns.

Brisbane firms may need to adjust their expectations to attract this inflow of talent and will need to consider offering remote working and flexible arrangements. They may even have to compete financially.

Our Flexible Working Future

Research from overseas suggests that a significant increase in productivity was gained by the shift to remote working. Generally, any time that had been spent commuting was absorbed into the working day.

Some employees enjoyed the lack of office distractions, less meetings and coffee catch ups and distance from office politics and colleagues that they didn’t get along with! Others missed office interaction and are looking to ensure there is a hybrid working arrangement in their future.

Something that working from home and relocating to a satellite office away from direct managers and senior leaders has in common is that you may feel less visible. This can add challenges to your career in that you may miss that water cooler chat or in-the-lift ad hoc conversations that can offer opportunities for interesting work or projects. This is something that will have to be considered by those basing themselves away from the action of the head office.

There are many benefits for legal industry employers in our brave new post pandemic world. For some it means a relocation to an area for lifestyle benefits. For others, it will be cementing hybrid or working from home arrangements. It’s an exciting time of change and innovation and we love being a small part of it!

If you are a talented lawyer considering a relocation to Queensland, then get in touch. We can help you consider your career options, pathways and market value. Let’s talk!

Contact us for a confidential career consultation where we can help you understand your market value and what is on offer in the Brisbane legal industry. You can make an appointment by emailing us at info@alexcorreaexecutive.com.au.