A study shows that the majority of international students working part-time in Australia’s largest city are being underpaid.
The study, carried out by the University of Sydney’s Business School, found that 80 per cent of international students working in restaurants across Sydney were not being paid the minimum amount, with up to 35 per cent of students being paid as little as AUD$12 an hour.
The federally mandated minimum hourly wage is AUD$17.29, but this study of more than 1,400 international students found that approximately 60 per cent of student in all industries earn less than this.
The retail industry was found to be the worst offender, with 90 per cent of student workers earning less than the minimum wage. According to the data, the Central Business District and inner suburbs of Sydney continue to be hotspots for exploitation, with up to 43 per cent of underpaid students working in central Sydney.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr Stephen Clibborn labelled the findings “staggering”, and revealed that some workplaces even ask students to work for nothing for up to month, for what the businesses call ‘unpaid training’.
Article by David Fuller