Australians are once again flocking to London to find work

In the last quarter of 2014 there were 8000 more Australian and New Zealand nationals working in the UK than in the same quarter a year earlier – a jump of almost ten per cent.

However the numbers still have a way to go before they reach the heady levels of the mid-noughties, when you could barely move in London suburbs like Clapham without hearing an Aussie accent.

In mid-2007 there were 116,000 Aussies and Kiwis working in the UK, compared with 91,000 in the last quarter of 2014. In early 2011 the number languished at just 63,000.

The drop in the late noughties was mostly due to a collapse in the popularity of the Youth Mobility Scheme, which gave young Australians a two-year visa commonly exploited for part-time work, copious beer consumption and cheap European getaways.

That in turn was blamed on the slump in the UK economy as a result of the global financial crisis – as well as the growing attraction of alternative destinations such as New York.

The new numbers were welcomed by Commonwealth Exchange, a new thinktank which promotes the links between old Commonwealth nations and the UK.

The group is campaigning for a new visa agreement between nations including Australia and the UK, making it easier for immigrants to get work.

"It's encouraging to see more Commonwealth citizens from Australia and New Zealand finding work in the UK but it's clear that more needs to be done," said Ralph Buckle, director of Commonwealth Exchange.

"These figures are still well below their peak levels."

He pointed out that the growth in Australians getting work in the UK was barely half that of EU nationals.

Britain's growing economy and strong currency have triggered a 23 per cent increase in the number of east Europeans working in Britain, and a 10 per cent increase from western European countries such as France and Spain.

There was also a 15 per cent rise in the number of Americans in the British labour force.