Australia is a massive country, and due to our size and mostly baron landscape, employees in Australia are sometimes required to travel far and wide to seek suitable employment.
Everyone would have now heard of the phrase, Fly In, Fly Out (FIFO), a process where workers commute from homes and cities to remote locations for employment. FIFO is more commonly found in the employment sectors of construction, engineering, mining, natural resources and energy fields and locations can reach as far away as remote West Australia & Queensland to locations around the world.
FIFO rosters vary, although a common rotation for these workers is to work for 2-3 weeks continuously, and then have 1-2 weeks off back at home. People would often only undertake FIFO for one of two reasons. The first being if they need a change and want to get away from their own home for a long period of time, or secondly, and the more common choice is to chase the big dollars. FIFO employees are often rewarded with above normal salary packages to compensate for the inconvenience of travel and living away from home.
However, is FIFO all it is cranked up to be?
I have met quite a few FIFO employees during my recruitment career, both candidates and clients who undertake the rigorous journey for a short or sustained period of time.
I have listed some of the current pros and cons I often hear from these people:
Pros of FIFO employment:
• Excellent salary package
• Roster breaks of 1-2 weeks off can be worth it
• Amazing ability to save a lot of money due to minimal opportunity to spend
• Mateship with fellow workers
• Accommodation provided or accommodation allowance (not always applicable)
Cons of FIFO employment:
• Long stretches away from home, family & friends
• Lack of freedom on site and strict work policies e.g. non alcohol policy
• Unfavourable working conditions
• Long hours worked
• Associated stress of travel, remoteness and working conditions
• Hard to exercise or maintain a normal healthy routine
• Basic accommodation e.g. dongas, or expensive rental properties near sites
So whilst particular parts of construction, engineering and mining industries are booming in regional locations, potential FIFO employees must weigh up the possibility of large pay packets with long periods of travel and compare this to the stress of working in remote areas, sometimes in unfavourable conditions whilst working away from their friends and family.
Local roles might not pay as much as a FIFO role; however local employees will have the security of working and living in a familiar and safe environment. One thing to consider is that if you are a very family orientated person, then is the pay rise going to be worth the time away from family?
It is worth noting however, that the Mining Boom is expected to last for the best part of another decade, but it will not last forever. Candidates considering FIFO must assess the risks of jeopardizing long term career aspiration locally against short term financial gains that FIFO opportunities can provide.
