Purpose. The article presents the results of research carried out among backpackers employed as part of the Australian visa programme (in both 417 and 462 categories). The analysis includes the backpackers’ employee experience, their professional situation and relations with employers.
Method. In 2016, direct interviews were conducted with 19 people from various countries who, within the WHV programme, undertook a temporary job on the entrepreneurial market in Western Australia. The GT (Grounded Theory) method was used.
Findings. The obtained results allowed to describe the area of experience gained by backpackers (who are stakeholders of the Australian visa programme) in terms of their professional situation and the conditions of the provided work.
Research and conclusions limitations. . There is a problem outlined in the article. The presented conclusions are part of the comprehensive studies that have been being conducted since 2014 regarding the experience of backpackers employed on the Australian labour market.
Practical implications. The work is practical in nature. It is important for many reasons, most of all because hiring backpackers has impact on the development of many sectors of the Australian industry. Therefore, extensive discussion of the issue allows to search for the necessary solutions. More controversial seem to be the rules applied to backpackers’ employment so far, but more important are solutions. Another aspect that gives practical value to this issue is the need for discussion on the revision of the WHV programme in view of admission of anew group of backpackers to the temporary labour market in Australia - from the countries of former socialist democracies (including Poland).
Originality. The raised issue is usually presented in foreign research as statistics and reports. The research commonly shows the number of employed backpackers, classifies the forms of their employment and describes the economic results for Australia. However, there is a lack of detailed qualitative analysis in which, from the perspective of the subjects, that means backpackers who are stakeholders of the WHV programme, the implications of running the WHV programme would be shown.
Type of paper. The article presents the results of empirical research.