Skilled Migrants NOT Finding Work?
Passionate About Councils And Leaking Taps
May 29, 2008LETS Can Help With Grey Nomads Willing To Share Skills
June 2, 2008Sue Ellson’s Newcomers’ Network has alerted us to a disagreement between academics and politicians over skilled migration. The situation could be adding to rental problems so some discussion is probably warranted.
A new study has found that almost half of Australia’s skilled migrants from non-English speaking countries cannot get a job in their field of expertise.
Monash University demographer Dr Bob Birrell says Australia’s intake of skilled migrants has doubled since 2001 to fill jobs in fields like accounting, information technology and health but the Skilled Migration Program is not achieving its aim and the visa system should change to address the problem.
Federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans rejects Dr Birrell’s findings, saying more than 70 per cent of skilled migrants are employed in their field and the Government is backing the existing program.
About General Skilled Migration
“The General Skilled Migration program is for people who are not sponsored by an employer and who have skills in occupations that Australia needs to fill labor shortages. Applicants must be over 18 and under 45 years of age and speak good English. They must also have recent skilled work experience or a recently earned and eligible Australian qualification as well as qualifications for an occupation listed on Australia’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL).
Recent changes have been made to the Australian General Skilled Migration program. These include more points awarded for very good English skills and reducing the visa structure from 15 subclasses to 9 subclasses to make it more easy for an applicant to know which visa subclass best suits him/her.”
Dr Birrell says:
“What has actually happened is that we have primarily recruited professional people with degree qualifications from non-English speaking background countries and only a small minority of these migrants have actually been able to obtain professional or managerial positions in Australia…
The employment rate is marginally better for skilled migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds who are aged over 30…
But only 22 per cent of those under 30 years old end up working in their field, and most of that group actually had an Australian tertiary qualification.
The former overseas students don’t do anywhere near as well as do Australian-born persons in the same age group, and it would seem the main reason is they lack the English communication skills that would be expected of persons trained in Australia…
I think we would be better advised at the moment to spend additional finance helping the tens of thousands of non-English speaking background migrants who are already here with bridging courses in order to assist them to make use of their qualifications…
There is certainly is a case to look critically at the various skilled programs to see if we could reduce them in order to diminish the burden of extra people that are currently going to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and adding to rental problems and adding to the demand for infrastructure and housing that is stretching Australian capacity in the construction industry.”
Can anyone throw any further light on this situation?
NB A 2013 link provided by a reader of this article may help others:
http://www.immigrationdirect.com.au/work-visa/skillselect.jsp
Thanks Abbey
40 Comments
I’m an international student in Brisbane and I can tell you that getting employment and visas and such is a MAJOR hassle.
I’m currently working on a casual basis as a childcare assistant. I’m doing great at my job and I love it, but to work legally I need to start working on getting a related qualification within 6 months (currently I’m finishing a Bachelor’s in Creative Industries).
The minimum certification I need to get is a Cert III in Children’s Services. Since I’m already at uni fulltime (as required by the Government – it’s hard enough finding jobs that don’t go over the 20 hours/week rule) I have to do this through correspondence/online learning.
All the info I can seem to get about Cert IIIs seem to require international students to go full time, and pay exorbitant international student fees. I’m not sure if the cheaper distance ed fees would be applicable to me (an international student who would get stuff mailed to an Australian address) or even if I would be allowed to take a distance ed course. But I have to take that distance ed course to work legally!
My Creative Industries degree is pretty useless here – no skill shortages and companies/orgs that would want to hire me can’t afford to sponsor me. I do, however, have tons of experience with youth work, where there is a skills shortage. I picked up a brochure about Skilling Solutions and their Recognition of Prior Learning, and thought “hey cool!” I’d have to get an RPL somehow anyway if I want to apply for permanent residency or a work visa, because they won’t give me that visa otherwise.
I go to the Skilling Solutions office, and guess what they tell me? They’re not allowed to do an RPL for me. The only people allowed to do RPLs are Australian residents (citizens/PRs) or international students – but international students have to go to a training centre to get them done. Which means I have to go to a TAFE and pay them to do an RPL, but there’s no way of knowing if they’ll do one for me if I don’t yet intend to study there.
As it stands, I would actually be a star hire for many youth arts organizations, due to my mix of cultural diversity, vast experience, and my studies in Creative Industries – but because those industries tend to be underfunded and because QLD and Australia have strict inane rules on who’s allowed to do what work, it’s next to impossible! Transit Lounge here actually had a great Trainee program that didn’t need any specific prior qualifications, which would have been PERFECT for me as an after-uni job – but again, how would they afford to sponsor my visa and prove that I’m better than any Aussie they can find?
The Australian Government makes it very difficult for people like me, who contribute a lot to local society and want to continue contributing, through all the hurdles and bureaucracy.
I’ve also heard a lot of migrants complaining of difficulty finding work even though they’re trained. I can understand if you want to say learning English/getting qualifications here is their responsibility, but if the government is actually standing in the way…..
Skilled professionals are able to migrate to Australia depending on the economy and the employment market. Migrants coming under other programs may also have many skills to offer the Australian economy. However, many of these migrants have a great deal of difficulty finding a job where they can use their skills. They may end up having long periods of unemployment, or working in positions in which their education and international experience
are completely wasted.
A survey of more than 100 skilled migrants found that 90% had sent more than 200 job applications during the first 6 months they were in Australia, but received no interviews.
In gaining employment, ‘apparently’ the most common problem faced by skilled migrants is lack of so-called local experience. It is the old story of not being able to get local experience until you can get a job, but not being able to get a job until you have local experience.
This is exacerbated by employers who may be experiencing difficulty employing suitably qualified people for certain positions due to a labour shortage in the area, but not know that the government has targeted migrants with these skills. With employers continueing to emphasize local experience over skills, they overlook suitable, well qualified migrants.
In an attempt to gain local experience, many skilled migrants thus apply for positions at a lower level than they are qualified for or at which they worked in their home country. However they are often rejected for these on the grounds that they are now overqualified.
People migrating to Australia under the skilled migration stream are not eligible for unemployment assistance, and may find themselves in serious financial hardship. They are often forced to take low-paid manual jobs which are frequently ‘casual’, without employment protection or rights. This exacerbates their woes by making it difficult for them to make plans or borrow money.
Some give up the struggle and return to their country of origin (with increased financial problems) and a very unfavourable impression of Australia.
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I’ve been in Oz for 3 years now and even as a postgrad locally qualified professional(Bond university) have never been ‘invited’ to an interview, never mind found a job in my own field….despite applying for positions all over Oz. As a result, my wife and I have had to work as farm labourers to get by. So much for the ‘clever’ country?
I’ve even written to various MP’s, but to no avail. So now we’re looking back offshore and our advice to anybody considering migration to be very, very wary. (unless you happen to be ‘a tradie’ in which case your ‘skills’ will be well accepted)
Bob Birrell is a non-political academic who gives independent comment from his extensive peer-reviewed research. He has been around for a long time and appears not afraid of politicians of different persuasions. He is worth reading even if you don’t agree with the results of his research.
Unlike him, my comments are based just on my opinion and limited anecdotal experience. In my company, , we get many applicants from overseas people whose written English in their application and/or CV is low. There are usually better applicants already in Australia or , if we can find the money, we could train Australian kids for the jobs. Often the overseas applicants are prepared to accept lower wages and conditions to our other workers to compensate for thier lower essential English job skill. Tiara and Mike, you are absolutely NOT in this category – quite the opposite from the English in your responses and if your qualifications were appropriate then you would get an interview with us.
But I try to see things from both sides. ie If i no longer wanted to be Australian and really wanted to become a citizen of another country and beat their citizens to great managerial and professional jobs, i would work my hardest to become an expert in their language and even accent. I would also try to be conversant, but not necessarily in agreement with , their culture and beliefs. Now, if i disagreed with their beliefs eg their religion or non-religion, their ideas on freedom of expression, their beliefs or non-beliefs on human rights, their sport or food then it would become more complicated for me ethically. Should i try to change these? eg if my adopted country believed in the death penalty or torturing politica prisoners or banning Muslim head scarves, or destroying religios statues , should i fight to stop these practises in my new country. Do i really want to become American, Taliban, Chinese, Indian etc? Am i only after my own and family’s economic betterment and use of the new country’s already establised infrastructure? This is complicated.
(unless i was OK with keeping on speaking Australian slang, getting pissed on Aussie beer regularly at Aussie BBQs with expats, eating pies, watching AFL footy on satelite …and working in one of their factories or as a permanently lost taxi driver).
Hi,
thanks for taking up the problem.
I have PhD, have worked as a business consultant for FIAT, KPMG and Mercedes.
I am an Aus citizen, have lived there for 13 years, I was teaching at Holmesglen TAFE for 2 and Swinburne Uni for 5 years (casual).
But, as you might know casual employment leads you to nowhere.
I love Australia but I had to come back to my home Poland when I work again as an adiunct professor at one of most entrepreneurial schools.
I have published a comprehensive paper on barriers migrants are facing in the Australian Mosaic; and will be happy to make it available to the “Pigs-can-fly” bunch :).
Last position I applied for was a council “Business liason officer”; but I was rejected as.. “overqualified” – and this is anothere trap (after “lack of local experience”).
Highly educated professionals do not have enough connections (sorry, networks) and local experience to get suitable jobs, but when we apply below our qualifications we are “overqualified”….
(citizens’ initiatives, like “pigs can fly” are amongst things I love Australia for…
regards from Rzeszow, Poland
Paul
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a registered nurse from Ethiopia and need to migrate to Australia under skilled migrant Category. If possible would you send me the potential employers that I can contact for offer letter for Visa application.I can be recruited in any capacity till I get the lisence in Australia through registering bodies or Nursing boadrs.
I look forward to hearing from you
Wondimu
The support of trade unions for quick start for a Pacific Island harvest labour scheme must not come at the expense of backpackers.
Backpacker labour in many cases is the single largest source of labour, filling the shortfall for season producers. Moving from one end of the country to the other.
The working holiday maker visa provides a critical source of labour for many growers, this is not its primary purpose. The program exists mainly to promote culture exchanges by allowing young people to travel and explore other countries.
These young working travellers return home to be ambassadors for Australia. Some may become company chief excutives or heads of government departments that one day may be in need of the produce that they have harvest.
During the 200-07 financial year 566,000 international backpackers spent $3.1 million in Australia. A large proportion of this money was spent in regional communities that have suffered low farm prices, drought, floods and bushfires.
Registered backpacker hostel operators need the support of governments and the National Farmers Federation as they invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in accommodation standards and looking after the backpacker’s welfare.
Thanks Peter – good points.
hey
I have moved into Australia just a year ago on a spouse visa. I have been looking for an approrite job since then… when I contact an organisation for any role the answer is either I am under or over qualifield for the role. One would expect some kind of guidance on what kind of roles one could apply for in such situations.
I have worked for over 8 years in Mumbai, India in the communication, events & media line and here when you dont get the job according to your skills it just gets frustrating…
The place is beautiful but when you feel that your skill is rotting & you are of no use or you are not contributing to your family it just gets to you!!!
Are there any specific places that guide on what is the right option where ones skills can be put to right use… because if the skill are put to use in the right place the benfit will be for both… the company (in turn the govt) & me!
I migrated to Australia with my husband almost 5 years ago. While we intended to travel around Australia we ended up staying in my husband’s small, rural hometown. I was very fortunate in finding employment within three months of coming to Australia, not in my former profession (since I studied German law that would have been a bit difficult, especially in a town of 700 people) but as the manager of a local neighbourhood house. I am now working as community development manager with the local council. My own experience here has been incredibly positive and I still feel I have come to the lucky country.
In both roles I have met many other migrants, though, who have come to the region (I continue to be amazed by how many!). In many cases one family member has come in under the skilled migration scheme, bringing with him/her a wife/husband and often children. While the ‘skilled migrant’ goes off to work, the children to school, their often also skilled professional partner stays home and slowly goes ‘insane’ with the lack of social contacts, inability to find work themselves, the different environment, culture etc. I struggled getting through only three months and regret all the skills and experience we, as the community, are missing out on.
Additionally to all the other settlement difficulties one of the biggest hurdles is having your skills/training recognised. From my – obvoiusly second hand – experience this is just as difficult for tradies as for other professions. The organisations charged with this formal recognition seem to me to have a vested interest in the matter. The physiotherapy board will only run the test once a year in Brisbane at a cost of $3,000. Despite universities only requiring an IELTS score of 6, the board requires one of 7. As you might imagine the local hospital experiences difficulties attracting physiotherapists to this remote location, however, a friend of mine with 10 years experience as a German physiotherapists, come to this corner of the world for love, has after two years of being refused to sit the test given up and returned to Germany.
An electrician was failed the test by the responsible board for a different reason each of 7 times. Either he is a very bad electrician, or there is something wrong with the system.
As a small rural community skills shortages are a very real threat to our sustainability. The Victorian Government has put a Regional Migration Scheme in place to try and match migrants with local employers. Our local government is also very proactive in attracting migrants to the region and to fill its own job vacancies. But this is obviously not enough in the overall Australian picture.
Another difficulty is helping migrants with low English language skills in rural locations. The government tries to entice skilled migrants to go to regional areas instead of metropolitan centres. But unfortunately especially rural locations are unable to provide settlement support because they cannot gain sufficient government support. The neighbourhood house has tried to run English as a Second Language classes for migrants, but government funding will not cover the cost of running classes for the – compared to metropolitan centres – small number of prospective students. To obtain funding the neighbourhood house would also have to attain accreditation, difficult for such a small provider. However, larger accredited providers request higher student numbers the house simply cannot obtain. In short, we are unable to help.
Despite getting very frustrated at being unable to help I am at core an optimist and sure we will get there eventually. One little step at a time.
You dont need to tell how miserable it is for immigrants on spousal visa. My husband worked as an accoutnant, here he is willing to be a book keeper but to no avail. In most cases it does feel like govt is standing in the way which for the life of me i cannot understand. Surely it would be better for him to be able to earn so that we are less burden on social security system. I am a full time student and a mother so until i finish my degree i am unable to start work. Meanwhile i have to deal with 2 years provisional visa drama.
I myself am skilled visa holder an accountant by profession it is quite difficult getting work here infact when i went to Hays Recruitment specialist they rejected my C.V outright as i did not have Australian experience, here we lie in a catch 22 situation you don’t have austrlian experience but to get it you have to work, Anyway the government should have a support sytem a training program for different type of professional they are bringing or the recruiters should atleast conduct an inhouse test of the immigrants before rejecting the immigrants application outright.
I am a graduate of Melbourne Uni (MA in Economics) and Monash (PhD in Politics), but was unable to find an academic or research job in Oz, because of my non-Australian (read non-‘Anglo-Australian’) origin, so had to leave Australia for good. Interestingly enough, I had no major problems finding academic jobs (as Assistant Professor and as Associate Professor) not only in my native Poland, but also in other European countries. Who is then the loser? Obviously, the poor Aussie Taxpayer, who paid for almost 10 years for my postgraduate tertiary education (including full scholarships). Australia must be a very rich country, if it could (so easily) afford such a huge waste of money, skills and talents… And ps: I have over 10 years Australian experience as a Busines and Systems Analyst (ANZ, Australian Eagle, COMPAQ and Telstra/CBA), but this was of no interest to Aussie Academia… If I was Leslie not Lech…
Academia does tend to be a world unto itself. Apart from comments like this Lech – and at least you’re able to ‘get it out there’ to a degree, I can’t think what else you can do. Any ideas from other readers?
OK. I have somehow managed to “get out”. But I am not happy because of this, as I took my family to Australia, hoping for better future there. I tried to become as Australian as possible – I have even finished studies in Australia and obtained MA in economics from Melbourne University and PhD in politics from Monash Univerity, but had to leave Australia, because none of Australian univerities wanted to employ me. It was not because of my qualifications or personality, as I have easily got academic jobs in Europe, and not only in my native Poland. I am afraid that the answer is the r a c i s m . It is so sad, that Australians are so racist, that they reject people like me, who were willing to contribute so much to their own welfare. Australians forget that living from selling their own natural wealth, leads to nowhere. If Australia wants to support its present high standard of living in the future, it must become a smart country, not a country rejecting their own PhDs…
lech.keller@gmail.com
Ouch! You hear so many varying stories – from no racism at all to the sort of stuff you are reporting Lech. I do wonder if the academic world is an accurate reflection of what goes on elsewhere in our community? I think you’re right about needing to become smarter and not so reliant on our natural wealth. I also wonder if such a direction will come from our leaders OR from the advocacy of thoughtful ‘others’? Do you share my feeling that THEY becoming more vocal, especially with the internet as a medium for getting their views ‘out there’?
Hi Gail!
Australia is the most racist country I know (maybe NZ is even more racist, but I was there too for short, to make such general statements). I have never encounter such level of racism as in Oz, in Europe and even in America.
I agree, that academic world is not an accurate reflection of what goes on elsewhere in Australian community, but academics are supoposed to have open minds, aren’t they? I am afraid that this racism will cost Australia a lot. I am not the only one higly skilled Australian citizen, who was forced to leave Australia because of racism and lack of vision among the Australian political and academic leaders.
And re Internet – we can write here what we think, but this does not mean, that the people who can make a diffrence, read us, and even if they read, they do not follow the voice of the reason. Australia is only a nominal democracy – in reality there is in Australia a kind of ochlocracy and plutocracy, so Australia has no future, unless there will be a radical chcnge of the ruling elites ‘down under’. Remember: ALP means only Alternative Liberal Party!
Greetings from Europe!
Lech
Australia federal government acknowledges shortage of accountants and issues working visas to eligible professionals all over the world. It is however common knowledge that most Australian employers do not recognise the experience and qualifications of migrants from developing countries. There is need for more coordinated effort between employers and the Department of Immigration in communicating what sells in the local market in order to provide prospective skilled migrants accurate information. More also needs to be done to sensitize employers on standards of education and professional exposure of candidates coming from these parts of the world.
I migrated last year with the hope of building on a 15 years accounting/audit career in Kenya but to date have not attended a single job interview other than registering with recruitment agents. There are migrants from my part of the world who have managed to break into the job market but a distinct feature in their profiles is qualifications from Europe or America or work experience with one of the big 4 audit firms. Yet those in the know would be aware that in third world countries due to high competition for access to professional opportunities standards are set very high and only the best and most committed succeed. Other than the economic implications of skilled worker migration and brain drain on third world countries it is very expensive and disheartening to the individual who ends up losing years of invested time and money in their careers.
Sorry, ken chege, but you seem to be v e r y n a i v e. Did you really belieieve, that there is no racial discrimination in Australia? I could not find a proper job in Oz, because although I am white (European, Caucasian or whatever this means), I am from Poland. It does not matter that I got MA from Melbourne and PhD from Monash as well as Australian citizenship. I can relatively easy find an academic job in Europe (most likely also in USA), but not in Poland. So my advice is: return to your contry – at least you will find there a job in your profession – in Oz you can only hope to be a taxi driver…
Hello Imtiaz and Ken,
I have B.Sc. Hons. degree of Oxford Brookes University Business School in Applied Accounting and i am hoping to be fulling qualified ACCA in the coming year.
I am currently thinking to migrate as a skilled Accountant. I need your urgent comments and advice about the employment market in Australia about Accountants and what i should and should not do to be better face the circumstances and enjoy the opportunities.Wether i will be able to make my place in my own profession or not and how can i make the place.
Please tell me clearly and fully. You can also send me email on adeelkhan656@hotmail.com.
Looking Forward,
Adeel
Mr Khan. I do not like to tell this to you, but with your very poor English, you don´t have a shadow of chance to gest a job as an accountant in Australia. I just wonder how could you get a degree from Oxford Brookes Uni. I now, this is not really a university (former polytechnic, i.e. a vocational school), but you should NOT get a British degree with so poor command of English language… So better stay where you are, and try to improve your English.
Lech
I am Australian, work in education industry and am very concerned about direction Australia taking i.e. attitudes toward foreigners.
Started under Howard, wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing, i.e. rather than be overtly racist like under former White Australia policy, Dr. Bob (I am not a racist) Birrell is used to belittle foreigners of non anglo celtic background through surreptitious means.
This is examplified by emphasis upon and (mis)information about Aussie identity, English language, ANZACs, flag, cultural, AFL/ARL vs soccer etc. http://aiecquest.blogspot.com/2009/12/bob-carr-on-immigration.html
The grotty thing about this is that it is dishonest, and is influencing too many people in Australia.
Hello, I’m Abdulbasit Hamza from Ethiopia which is the poorest country in the World. I have been working in this country in defferent Hospitals as nurse since I got Dipiloma in clinical Nursing in 2005, from Assella School of Nursing.And now I’m a Bachelor degree holder in Public Health Officer from Haramaya University. Now I am seaking job from your country,Australia, and I would like to be frank that I could not afford to the payment of VISA proccessing, as I’m from yhe third World country. So, would you please offer me a payment free VISA application to Australia? Thank you!!!!
Hi All,
I am Ermias from Uganda. I came to Australia in January 2009 as a skilled migrant. I have skills and experiences in IT and had been working hard to get that first foot in employment for thus far. One of the main barriers was the way I write my applications such as addressing the KSC which I had no idea before. So I had to take a course and learn to write CVs and Applications the ” OZ way”. However getting few phone calls, it took me no where! So, I am wondering if the employers here don’t give a sh**t to my Territiary qualification (also recognised in Australia), eight years experience, and to my industry certifications; what else is left for me to change and impress? The date I am posting this message is June 29,2010. That means, it has been a year+ full time looking for a career I was granted the Visa for. Yes, my skills are now “rotting”,as one contributor put it some where above. I am not sure what holds true for my future, but I am trying my best to advise people seeking to migrate to Australia to consider alternatives that could make use of the so called “skilled migration” beyond just business!!
Hi All!!
whatever being said about qualified migrants not getting job in their own field in oz is very true!! No matter how much qualified and experienced the migrant is, these aussie employer’s don’t give you a shit.
About myself, I came down here in 2007 feb on a student visa and after going through a lot of hardship (for eg. paying +7000 AUD every 4 month to the education provider,long hours of shift in a bloody hard industry just to pay for accomodation, travelling, tuition fee etc.) successfully completed Masters degree in prof. accounting in Dec. 2009. That was during the time when the immigration department introduced the so called priority processing changes.Having studied Accounting, I did meet their requirement by obtaining 7+ in each band of IELTS and was lucky enough to priority processed and get the residency in months. Now,having been an australian resident for nearly a year, I am still working in the same bloody industry long hrs and am still struggling to win the bread for me and my family in this one of the best nation in the world. Also looking into my qualification and experience I don’t think I am that worse. I got overseas qualification of Master’s Degree in Business Studies with specialization in Accounting and also Masters degree in professional accounting from this wonderland. Also I have worked as an Accountant in a very esteemed avaition company back home(South Asia) for more than 6 yrs.I have been applying as many as 10-20 jobs every day and surprisingly enough was able to secure 1 interview for accounting related position in this period (ha ha ). Bloody hell!! The interviewer told me that I was qualified enough from all aspects to do the job and the only thing he was worried about me was that i didn’t have any australian experience ( ha ha ha I understood then that he’s gonne give me a shit). Anyway I didnot get that job. Now, I am still applying for the accounting positions unsuccessful in obtaining any further interview though.
So this is how my perception on the australian job market for all the skille migrants!! The good government still presumes that they have a skill shortage in many areas like accounting (ridiculious ). I am still trying to get into the field and I haven’t given up nor I am tired though I am skeptical that I would get one.
So if anyone has any advise for me and also a lot of other people facing my situation, any comments/suggestions/advise is highly appreciated.
Thanks
Johnny!!
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Happy to publish your comments but it would be nice to know what you’re saying – can someone translate?
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Australian employers are the most pessimist from the entire world! Before hiring, they put you through lots of processes- phone screening, behavioral interview, technical interview, demonstration, etc, etc. True! this is a professional way of taking you on board. But, the reality is, you never ever get the job unless you have got the CONNECTION.
There is a common saying people use to describe this situation.
” It is not what you know, it is who you know.”
That’s why many migrant professionals: Engineers, Doctors, Geologists, Accountants finds it almost “impossible” to get into their respective area but are stuck either in the hard labor industrial sector or are doing “Piloting” – nickname for Taxi driving.
Hi,
I am Ash from Melbourne. Skilled migrants find the job hunt in Australia incredibly challenging with the main barrier being lack of local experience and work reference related to their profession.
But challenges are temporary stop points prompting you a need to change the way you are doing. So the best thing to start with is to take on volunteering,in your area, and keep on building your network. I have found this viable way of at least securing interviews. Otherwise, nothing bounces back from spending your time on seek.com.
Mine is a very different case from most of the previous comments. I have Australian IT qualifications under scholarship sponsored by South Australian Government plus global high end IT certifications. Have high IELTS score. In Australia I got highest score in technical subjective English amongst my peers. Gained Australian Citizenship in a shortest possible time. Had Australian local experience but still couldn’t get a permanent job even after 4 years. Ultimately became sick of working on short term contracts and came back to my home country where I am working successfully. There is absolutely no help from the Govt. or TAFE or even UNIS with regard to employment. The situation is so bad that even their own well educated local Australians are rotting. They call it “Degrees of Frustration”. I pointed this thing in a seminar held by a reputed Australian University to the deans and the program directors. The shocking reply I got was that “We can support our entire population on dole if they don’t get a job after graduating”.
Agreed with comments above:
1) Basically the common attitude of recruiting employer in Aussie is that OZ experience / education or other Anglo exp / education (e.g. UK or US) are superior to non-OZ / Anglo experience and education. This superiority complex is almost identical to racism and can’t be easily discerned. So, if you have good professional qualification / experience from non-Anglo countries, you will have very low chance to ever get employment in your professional field in Aussie.
2) Most employers make complaints about lack of English communication skill in most non-Anglo migrants. This may be true but it should not automatically make all non-Anglo migrants disqualified for professional jobs. Some of us actually work hard to learn how to communicate in English and our resume / CV should not be discarded in first instance without even trying to talk or meet in an interview. I remember an interview in my first job as junior accountant 7 years ago…the GM of the small company actually asked me whether I would have problem communicating in English, even after we just had a conversation for about 15-20 minutes 😉
3) I agree that in the end, it is who you know instead of what you know that will make a difference in your career…especially if you’re new migrant and from non-Anglo background. I had 8 years accounting and tax experience in Big 4 firms in developing Asian country and graduated from the best uni there in my home country. But when I first arrived here, I could not get an interview (let alone a job) in the first two months after sending hundreds of applications. In the end, some daughter of a friend of my friend’s mom got my resume submitted to the small company where I worked for 3 years and progressed from junior A/P clerk to Asst Accountant whilst working on my CA qualification. Currently my career is better since I gained my CA 3 years ago but still I feel I cannot go further to management level. Though my works actually cover my manager’s works but still the manager’s role must be reserved for true blue Anglo Oz. My prior manager did not have accounting qualification. When she left, I thought I would have a chance to replace her considering I’ve been here in 3 years but NO…another true blue OZ with no accounting qualification beat me to the job though I actually have a CA qualification from ICAA. It is such a funny world.
The Government of Australia should come to the rescue of skilled migrant workers still struggling in Australia. It is for fact that many of these people are being denied of jobs on favouratism, and/or chauvinistic attitude of recruiters.
The Government needs to be considerate and do something!
Reply to Lech. You have mentioned your qualification as PHD in politics and you are originally from Poland. Interestingly I know an Australian (Victorian) girl who had PHD in Mathematics and Statistics and yet could not find a job in her own Country. I have very high regards for Polish and Bulgarians. They are well educated, hardworking and have a die-hard spirit. The point is “Australia as a nation has extreme hatred for education and educated people”. Further. if you happen to be a non-white person then this problem gets compounded by many folds. As in the case of Chinese,Indians and other Asians. Particular Indians because as per my observation they have much better level English, their written English is somewhat better than many of the Australians even.
Imagine you are Black – African; it is less likely you will make that first impression to the recruiters/employers. Most of the time, you get nothing or a non sense feedback even when you proved your competence and capacity during the interview. A friend of mine, who came here as a skilled migrant – Civil Engineering, also with heaps of experience from around the world, had to quit and go back to South Africa after one year + hassling.
What’s the most important thing to the job? are we not in the 21st century where people should be judged by what they can do, and not with their color/accent/ or ethnic background? Surprisingly, the reality here is quite different. You are considered for the job only if you fulfill ALL the criteria – experience,communication skill, qualification,accent,color,culture,connection,etc etc.
I wonder why skilled VISA was granted knowing it is extremely difficult for migrant workers to get the kind of job they had been working for so long.
Were has the skilled/student VISA gone wrong? In many cases it has been abused by international doggy agents and colleges which most have been cleaned up. Now we have the doggy hire labour contractors that the Australian Government has set up rules and regulations but cannot find away to prosecute those that do not follow the rules but in New Zealand some have been jailed.
It was reported in the Australian Financial Review (20/10/10) that the Gillard government faces internal complaints that a crackdown on overseas students visa rorts is hurting the $15 billion higher education and training sectors. The government was warned that tighter restrictions on overseas students visas could contributing to a substantial decline in applications from forgners to stidy in Australia.
It was reported defending the governments crackbown on student visas as it has been abused to provide a fast track for permanent residency..
Universities and training providers have complained that the reforms, which removed a pathway from students visas to permanent residency, would harm the lucrative foreign education.
To Australian Employers,
Please be fair and undertand that migrants have the skills and the brains too.
We don’t have the connection to influence you, and we request you to open up and see what we can bring to the Australian economy.
Remember Einstein was a Refugee!
Behold this is so true!
http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/still-judged-by-skin-colour-20100620-yp54.html
and this is also true;
http://www.theage.com.au/national/australian-bosses-are-racist-when-its-time-to-hire-20090617-chvu.html