Sacked public service workers are likely to be in high demand across the Tasman, with some industries offering fast-tracked citizenship for disgruntled Kiwi employees.

More than 2500 public sector jobs have gone since National took office in 2008, with Prime Minister John Key announcing further cuts this week. On Thursday, Mr Key announced the creation of a super-ministry merging four existing agencies.

The new Business, Innovation and Employment Ministry brings together the Economic Development and Science and Innovation ministries with the Labour Department and the Building and Housing Department.

The New Zealand Defence Force is one of the most heavily affected by cuts, with 685 people leaving voluntarily between August last year and January this year, and 297 others who were made redundant last year as part of the White Paper review.

The Australian Defence Force, facing stiff competition from the mining sector, is targeting laid-off skilled specialists from overseas militaries, including New Zealand by offering citizenship after just three months of service.

Jason Clayton, owner of Custom Employment Events that runs the Oz Jobs Expo, said he had no doubt many of those who lost their positions in the public sector could find employment in Australia.

"With the development that goes on in Australia, there's a lot of infrastructure work to be done so a lot of opportunities at local state and government level."

The powerful Australian economy was being driven by the mining sector, with benefits spilling through to the wider economy.

He cited the Olympic Dam mine north of Adelaide as an example, which will become the largest open-cast mine in the world when completed.

There would be a need for "thousands and thousands" of people to work on the project and to provide services for those workers and their families. They would include teachers, medical staff and retail and hospitality workers.

Even New Zealand prostitutes are in high demand, with an Australian report saying that sex workers were earning up to $2000 a night after arriving in booming mining towns.

Medrecruit managing director Sam Hazledine said demand for doctors was huge in Australia, with 460 jobs on the company's books.

It was placing about 10 New Zealand doctors a month in jobs in Australia and many were opting for long-term positions rather than the quick "weekend warrior" work that was popular a year ago.

"The jobs are there and there's no question that, if they want the job, we can place them."

Unions were also aware of the increase in recruitment by Australian companies. Rail and Maritime Union national secretary Wayne Butson said all specialised workers in the rail industry, including drivers, were being lured away.

Australian grain company Watco had recently been in New Zealand holding recruitment seminars, offering A$100,000 (NZ$128,000) salaries for a working week of less than 40 hours, he said.

The attraction of tens of thousands of extra dollars combined with an easier workload was too good for many to refuse, with 16 workers signing up on the spot in Auckland.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation researcher Leonie Walker also said there was no doubt many New Zealand-trained nurses were heading across the ditch.

AUSTRALIA WINS BATTLE OF JOB EXPOS

The gulf between Australian and New Zealand job opportunities has become so great that the organiser of a national job expo has had to separate the two.

Custom Employment Events owner Jason Clayton said when the New Zealand Job and Career Expo was launched in 2007 an even mix of employers from both countries took part, with several industries that had a presence in each country often exhibiting together.

But, over the past few years, job opportunities in Australia had exploded while the recession had led to a dwindling number in New Zealand.

Wages had increased steadily in Australia and the Australian dollar was now worth much more than it was a few years ago, he said.

In 2010, Mr Clayton launched the Oz Job Expo to cater for solely Australian jobs and this year will run two of the expos as "people were only coming to see the Australian employers".

But while there were droves of Kiwis looking for opportunities in Australia, he predicted things would swing back eventually.

"The thing is, the way New Zealand is at the moment, my view is that there comes a point in time when opportunities will start to appear more broadly ... and the hammer will come down on people moving back."

CITIZENSHIP LURE CAST BY AUSTRALIAN RECRUITERS

THE Australian Defence Force is offering former Kiwi soldiers, sailors and aircrew a fast track to citizenship as it prepares for the arrival of new ships and aircraft.

Under the lateral recruitment scheme, new recruits are given a residency visa and can apply for citizenship after just three months of service.

The Australian Defence Force is facing pressure from the private sector for skilled staff in all three branches of the services, including dentists, chaplains, pilots, engineers, submarine crew and special forces soldiers.

The drive comes as several Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, face cutbacks to their armed forces.

The New Zealand Defence Force made 212 people redundant last year in attempts to reach cost saving targets set by the Government's White Paper. Another 685 people left the service voluntarily between August and January.

The NZDF and the ADF have an unwritten agreement not to actively poach currently serving personnel, but the Australian recruitment drive could affect the uptake of new civilian roles created to replace those made redundant in New Zealand.

A NZDF spokesman said there was no doubt highly paid opportunities overseas were an attraction, especially in the mining sector.

In a recent survey about 60 per cent of defence staff agreed there were good opportunities to gain employment outside the NZDF, up 7 per cent on the previous quarter.

However, defence personnel were beginning to benefit from new capabilities such as the recently delivered NH90 helicopters and the NZDF remained an organisation that offered an exciting career and excellent training, the spokesman said.

"Whilst we may not be able to match salary for salary with some opportunities in Australia, we do offer what many see as a much better lifestyle and we are starting to see evidence that some that have left the NZ Defence Force are now looking at returning."

In the past five years, one New Zealand citizen had been recruited by the Australian navy through the overseas recruitment programme, 13 by the army and four by the air force.

SALARIES (NZ$ – MEDIAN PAY)

Accounting

New Zealand – $65,000

Australia – $103,000

Customer service

New Zealand – $40,000

Australia – $66,300

Government

New Zealand – $65,000

Australia – $102,800

Hospitality & tourism

New Zealand – $35,000

Australia – $68,000

Retail

New Zealand – $37,000

Australia – $68,522

Trades & service

New Zealand – $45,000

Australia – $80,000

Source: Trade Me salary guide July to December 2011 and seek.com.au salary snapshot January 2011.