Joblessness higher among immigrants in Australia

Australia, 6th September: Rate of joblessness in Australia is highest among immigrants coming to Australia to work here.

This has been revealed by the findings of the latest report by ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics).

A large percentage of immigrants wanting to work in Australia are unemployed. The ABS figures reveal a total of 5.2 percent of Australian population is without any jobs in Australia presently and the number of skilled immigrants without having jobs in Australia is a whopping 7.3 percent.

And the immigrants currently employed on various jobs in Australia are mostly in professional roles. The percentage of workers employed in Australia generally is 20 percent while the percentage of skilled migrants employed in professional roles in Australia is one-third.

Seeing the above figures of unemployment among immigrants in Australia, it appears evident that the vocational experience as well as skills of immigrants living abroad are not being utilized to the optimum level, feels a migration expert, Sydney University, Dimitria Groutsis.

Hence, there is an increased need for providing better information to potential immigrants applying for immigration to Australia regarding their expectations.

After the recent changes in the Australian immigration rules by Department of Immigration and Citizenship Australia (DIAC), it has become quite difficult for immigrants without possessing an offer of job in Australia to immigrate in Australia.

Yet another factor contributing to higher rate of joblessness among immigrants in Australia is the difficulty in getting work or jobs in Australia after they join their spouses in Australia. Termed as ‘secondary applicants’, such immigrants comprise of dependent relatives of immigrants in Australia apart from women and children.

Out of the total secondary applicants joining partners in Australia, around 32 percent get full-time jobs in Australia while the percentage of primary applicants getting jobs in Australia was 68 percent. Meanwhile, such percentage of those having jobs in Australia does not take into account stay at home working mothers or voluntary workers in Australia. in addition, several immigrants working on part-time jobs in Australia does not seem to be included in the ABS data.

Majority of immigrants were getting offers of jobs in healthcare and social assistance (12 percent), technical and scientific services (12 percent) and manufacturing (11 percent).