New research shows that job outcomes have improved for skilled immigrants settling in Australia over the past five years.
A study carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that newcomers who arrived in Oz with tertiary qualifications during the past five years are now twice as likely to work in their field of expertise as those who arrived more than 15 years ago.
Close to 40 per cent of qualified migrants who have settled in Australia post 2010 are working in an occupation related to their qualification. This compares to 20 per cent of those who arrived prior to 2001.
According to Lesleyanne Hawthorne, a migration expert at the University of Melbourne, immigration policy changes which have focused on boosting the scale of skilled migration have helped migrants find work. Such policies have focused on enhancing English-language screening and closer matching immigrants with current Australian job shortages
“If you compare Canada and Australia in terms of skilled migration 15 years ago… about 60 per cent [of skilled migrants] were employed in six months,” Hawthorne explained. “With Australia’s policy changes we’ve moved to 83 per cent within six months. Canada’s stayed pretty much the same.”
Seven in 10 migrants who arrived in Oz after 2010 have tertiary qualifications, compared with four in 10 of those who arrived before 2001, the ABS figures show. The research also reveals that recently-arrived immigrant workers are nearly twice as likely as Australian-born workers to have a university degree.
Article published 26th July 2016