One of the measures taken by the Federal Government to help and keep the industry running during the coronavirus crisis is by making changes to some of the country's immigration policies.
These include , where they are exempted from six-month work limitation with one employer if they work in a critical industry like health, aged care, disability care, childcare, agriculture and food. They will be eligible for a further visa if the current visa is expiring in the next six months.
However, in general, is it easy to get a job in Australia using this type of visa?
Office or farm works?
Dyah Susilowati, 29, submitted an application for a after feeling bored with her "routine office work" in Jakarta. The Sragen woman, in the Central Java, admits that she did not have a high hope as to what kind of work she would be doing in Australia.
"When I decided to join WHV, there was no expectation of being able to work in an office, because I know that WHV's holders usually work in the farm, meat factory, or in the restaurant or as a cleaner in a hotel," Dyah told SBS Indonesian.
Since visiting Melbourne for the first time in 2013 for a course-related event, Dyah says she fell in love with Australia and had a dream to work here after graduating from university.
Dyah Susilowati thought that work and holiday visa could be her way in to work in Australia. Source: Supplied
Seeing Work and Holiday Visa as the entrance to achieve her dream, Dyah flew to Tasmania at the end of January 2019. She worked in the blueberry farm there for three months to fulfil the required period so that she could later apply WHV for the second year.
After finishing her three months in Tasmania, Dyah then moved jobs. From packing vegetables in Queensland, being a waitress and delivery crew in Goulburn, to finally the big city of Sydney.
"My friends in Sydney said that there is a lot of work opportunities available if we're looking for them willingly. Like being a waitress, cleaner, casual jobs," says Dyah, who admits that she then looked for a job in Sydney because her Goulburn's wage was too low, not even enough for food and rent.
But it is not that easy. Dyah says she was unlucky because she was looking for a job in the winter.
"If you want to work in the city, winter is not the right time to look for one," she says. "There is, but there must be with a lot of effort."
Dyah says she had to walk 19 km every day, submitting resumes at many hotels and restaurants. Two Japanese restaurants eventually hired her although it was only for a month.
It's hard to compete
Dyah says she feels lucky when finally got a job as a Digital Media Executive at an advertising company in Sydney for five months until December last year. This was her first "office job" using Work and Holiday Visa, which was the same role as she did in Jakarta before leaving Indonesia.
She admits that there was a difference between WHV holders from Indonesia and those from other countries, especially from Europe.
It is not easy for Work and Holiday Visa holders from Indonesia to get the jobs they want. Source: Getty Images/Aaftab Sheikh
"In my opinion, the majority of Indonesian WHV holders mostly work in the informal sectors like hospitality, farm, animal cultivation [and] only a small proportion can work in the formal sector," says Dyah.
"When I joined the company, I saw a lot of European WHV holders, the majority of which worked in the offices immediately.
"So from the beginning when they applied for WHV in their country, they already knew they wanted to find the same job in Australia, using a Work and Holiday Visa.
"Whereas for Indonesian applicants, as was my personal experience, we only know that there is Work and Holiday to Australia and we could do any work to finance our vacation with it.
"But in the end, here, we don't go on vacation, we don't go on trips, just look for money.. look for money."
Even though her visa is still valid, Dyah is now back in Indonesia after joblessly waiting for two months and not hearing any responses to the jobs she had applied for.
