Australia, where do all your backpackers come from?

In December 2021, as the Australian borders reopened for international travel, 16,700 Working Holiday Visas were granted. Only a month prior, the number sat at just 1,600, accounting primarily for those who were on their second or third WHV, and who were already in the country before the outbreak of the pandemic.

If the skill shortage in hospitality has not fully been addressed by this influx, it shows us that the number of “Working Holiday Visas” (subclass 417) will be bouncing right back after almost two years of border closure.

These figures are over a year from June of year N to June of year N+1. Credit: M. Mariton for Le Courrier australien

But what are the most represented nationalities among this cohort of backpackers? A look back over the previous decade shows us that the countries that send the most working holiday makers to Australia tend to remain the same.

The United-Kingdom, for example, consistently ranks as the number one source of WHV holders. Over the period of June 2010-June 2011, Britons accounted for 21.1% of the total of WHV’s that were granted. The United-Kingdom was one of the first countries to join the program back in 1975, alongside Canada and Ireland.

The decrease of 2020 is due to Covid. But these figures still show the growing proportion of French backpackers. Credit: M. Mariton for Le Courrier australien

The cohort has slightly diversified over the years, but Immigration figures show us that close to 90% of those visas were attributed to citizens of countries from the OECD. This comes as no surprise, as Australia limits the list of passports eligible for this specific visa. The list includes 19 countries. Currently, the three territories that form part of the program (WHV, subclass 417) while not being a part of the OECD, are Malta, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, with Taiwanese being the most represented.

Other figures indicate a growing number of French people among the Working Holiday makers in the country. Whilst France was the fifth most represented nationality in the program in 2010-11, it had moved up to second place by the end of the decade.

And now to our readers: have you met many British or French backpackers in the Land Down Under? If not, what about travellers from other nationalities? Although the immigration data stopped in December 2021, it will be interesting to see how the profile of Working Holiday Visa holders evolves after the borders reopen for good.