Many refugees working as managers and professionals before arriving in Australia have struggled to have their skills and qualifications recognised, and are still experiencing an 'occupational downgrade' 10 years after arrival, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).
Before arriving in Australia, 30% of employed women and 19% of employed men had been working in managerial or professional roles - dropping to 17% and 10% respectively after 10 years of residency.
Half of men working in their home country in fields like business, human resources, marketing and ICT were working as technicians, tradespersons or machinery operators after a decade of residence in Australia.
For women refugees, the occupational downgrade was even more pronounced. Among those who had been managers or professionals in their home countries, over two-thirds (67%) were not in paid work after 10 years in Australia. The remainder were mostly working as carers, cleaners, education aides or sales assistants.
Around 2,400 humanitarian migrants were surveyed over a 10-year period, starting when their first visas were granted in 2013, as part of Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants (BNLA) - the largest longitudinal study of humanitarian migrants in Australia.
Lead author, Dr John van Kooy, said it is important for employers and mainstream employment agencies to develop their understanding and capacity to support people from diverse cultural and migration backgrounds.
"Many refugees have their careers interrupted by forced migration and while waiting for their visas to be granted. Language can also be a barrier to finding suitable employment initially," Dr van Kooy said.
"Yet we know that many have the skills and experience to fill gaps in the Australian labour market - including in professions such as engineering, allied health and teaching.
"Employers and employment agencies who are culturally competent, flexible, and able to respond to the specific needs of refugee workers, will be in the best position to utilise this significant skill base," Dr van Kooy said.
A 2024 report by national not-for-profit service provider SSI(link is external) found there is a potential for a 'billion-dollar benefit'(link is external) in the employment of refugees and other migrants thought to have 'chronically underutilised skills'.
SSI Head of Strategic Relations, Dane Moores, said almost half of permanent migrants in Australia work below their skill level, with humanitarian entrants even more likely to have their skills underutilised.
"Many refugees arrive in Australia with years of professional experience and valuable skills, but they face a system that devalues their expertise and puts up unnecessary roadblocks to formally recognising their qualifications. The process to have overseas qualifications recognised is complex, costly and inconsistent, and many refugees find it difficult to meet the rigid documentation requirements," Dane Moores said.
"In addition to having remarkable personal qualities like resilience and determination, professionals from refugee backgrounds bring skills we urgently need-in health, education, engineering and more. Yet many of these skills are currently being wasted."
Other key findings from the study:
- More than twice as many refugees were in the labour force in Year 10 of the study compared to the first year of settlement in Australia - with participation climbing from 22% to 52% year over that time.
- 39% of women and 63% of men were in the labour force 10 years after arriving in Australia. Of those who were not in the labour force in year 10 of the study, 33% of women and 41% of men indicated that they wanted a job.
- Participants in good health and who were proficient in spoken English had higher participation and employment rates.
- The likelihood of employment for women who were in families with children under 5 was 84% lower than that of men in the same situation.
Funded by the Department of Social Services, the BNLA study explored a range of settlement outcomes for humanitarian migrants, including health, education, workforce participation, social connections and self-agency. Study participants were mostly from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Myanmar.
The latest report from the study, Economic participation of humanitarian migrants, focuses specifically on the relationship between family dynamics and employment.
AIFS conducts original research to increase understanding of Australian families and the issues that affect them.
