How to change careers after redundancy
Being made redundant can hurt, especially if you’ve spent years building your career.
You have to remember that redundancy is about a role that’s no longer required, not the value of the person who held it. Redundancy can create something that’s difficult to find in the middle of a busy career. An opportunity to reconsider where you’re heading.
A career change after redundancy doesn’t necessarily mean starting again. It can mean taking the skills and experience you’ve already built, identifying where else they’re valued, and picking up the additional knowledge or qualifications you need to move into a new field.
If you’ve been thinking about a career change, this could be your chance.
What to do next after being made redundant?
If you’ve been made redundant and are wondering what to do next, start with the practical details.
Check your final pay, notice period, redundancy entitlements, and any annual or long service leave you’re owed. Depending on your circumstances, you may also want to look into government support available while you consider your next step.
You can find official information through the Fair Work Ombudsman, Australian Taxation Office and Services Australia.
Once the admin is under control, you can turn your attention to a bigger question: do you want another version of the role you’ve just left, or is this the right time to change direction?
After years in a particular profession or industry, taking some time to assess what you want from the next stage of your working life can be worthwhile.
Is a career change a good idea after redundancy?
It can be. The period after redundancy is one of the relatively few points in a working life when you may have both the time and the reason to reconsider your direction.
Changing careers isn’t automatically the right decision. Financial commitments, family responsibilities and how quickly you need to return to work all matters. Moving into a familiar role may offer greater certainty and make the most sense for you. And if you love what you do, then just get back to it.
However, if you’ve been considering a change for a while, redundancy is the perfect time to explore it properly. Rather than asking, “What job can I get next?”, you can ask, “What do I want the next part of my career to look like?”
Benefits of changing careers after job loss
Changing careers can give you the opportunity to:
- Move into an industry with stronger long-term employment prospects
- Find work that better reflects your interests, priorities or values
- Develop skills suited to changes in the workforce
- Improve the fit between your career and the rest of your life
- Make a considered change on your own terms
Changing directions isn't unusual. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that around 1.1 million Australians changed jobs in the year to February 2025, with significant numbers moving into a different major occupation group.
How to start a career change after redundancy
Before searching for job advertisements, start with yourself.
Think about what you did well in your previous roles, which responsibilities you genuinely enjoyed and what colleagues regularly relied on you for. Then also think about what you’d prefer to leave behind.
This gives you a more useful starting point than a job title.
Next, compare your experience with areas of employment demand. Jobs and Skills Australia predicts the fastest growing professional areas over the next decade will be:
- Health and community services including health management, counselling and community services
- Business and management including project management, leadership, finance and business analysis
- Technology including software engineering, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence
- Design and creative technology including user experience, digital design, and communication.
If these in-demand areas overlap with your skills, interests and circumstances, they’re a great place to start looking.
Research the qualifications employers are asking for, typical salaries and opportunities in your location. Jobs and Skills Australia are a useful starting point for understanding employment projections, while current job advertisements can give you a more immediate picture of the skills employers want and how much you’re likely to earn in various roles.
How to identify your transferable skills
Transferable skills are capabilities you’ve developed in one job or industry that can be valuable in another.
The easiest way to identify yours is to work backwards from what you’ve actually done rather than focusing on your job title.
For example, managing a large departmental budget may demonstrate financial analysis, stakeholder management, and planning skills that could transfer into business analysis or project management.
Managing a team through organisational change could translate into leadership, human resources or change management.
Handling complex or escalated customer issues may have developed communication, problem-solving and interpersonal skills that will be useful in areas such as community services or counselling.
Check out this transferable skills checklist to help you identify more >
A career change doesn't erase the knowledge you’ve accumulated. Your existing skills may see you enter a new field well beyond the starting line, rather than going back to square one.
Upskilling and retraining after redundancy with flexible study
Once you know where you want to go, you can pin down what's missing between your current experience and what’s needed in your new field.
If the gap is relatively small, a short course may be enough to develop a specific skill. A diploma or graduate certificate can provide a broader foundation, while you may need a degree or postgraduate qualification if you want to move into a field with particular professional or technical requirements.
The key is choosing the level of study that matches the size of the career change. You don't necessarily need to collect another qualification just for the sake of it. You need the knowledge and credentials to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to go.
Flexible study can make that easier. Online and part-time options can let you study while job searching, working or managing family responsibilities.
If you study with us, you may also be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for relevant previous study or professional experience. This can reduce the subjects you need to complete, shortening the time and cost of studying. Eligible domestic students may also be able to defer some higher education course fees through FEE-HELP.
[Career changer quote]
You already have years of experience, knowledge, and professional judgement to draw on. A career change is about working out where those strengths can take you next, what new skills you'll need to get there and whether now is the right time to make the move.
Ready to explore your next career direction? Get in touch to talk about flexible study options at Torrens University Australia.
Related articles
How to change careers and transition into data analytics
How to make a career change into tech
