Integration into the Australian Labour Market: The Experience of Three “Visibly Different” Groups of Recently Arrived Refugees¹

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of "visible difference" on employment outcomes of three recently arrived refugee 2 groups: ex-Yugoslavs, black Africans, and people from the Middle East. The paper draws on data collected through a survey (150 questionnaire-based face-to-face interviews conducted by bilingual interviewers) of refugees who settled in Western Australia over the past decade. Results indicate different outcomes for respondents from the three backgrounds despite similar levels of human capital and similar length of residence. Our evidence supports a "political economy of labour migration" interpretation for the differential outcomes, based on both structural and interpersonal racism, rather than a neo-classical explanation which holds that the job market is "blind to ethnicity". Despite high unemployment and loss of occupational status, predominantly highly educated refugees were relatively satisfied with their lives in Australia. 60Colic-Peisker and Tilbury

Sudanese Perspectives on Resettlement in Australia

“…These challenges have also been described in another research study in Australia which examined employment difficulties among 'visibly different' refugee groups (Colic-Peisker & Tilbury, 2007). African refugees appear to face particular challenges to securing employment, even those with higher levels of education.…”

“Thinking Too Much”: Psychological distress, sources of stress and coping strategies of resettled Afghan and Kurdish refugees

“…Our aim was to recruit 50 participants from each group, to give a total sample of 200. For this exploratory study, given the challenges of recruitment in difficultto-access minority populations such as these (Faugier & Sargeant, 1997), we aimed for an indicative, rather than truly representative, sample (Colic-Peisker & Tilbury, 2007).…”

Promoting male refugees’ mental health after they have been granted leave to remain (refugee status)

“…This does not only impact on them financially, but also on their self-esteem and their mental health in general (Colic-Peisker and Tilbury 2003). This applies particularly to those who are highly qualified, as their skills and talents are often not encouraged to flourish in the new country, and in order to re-enter their profession, they need to follow longer and not always successful routes (Colic-Peisker and Tilbury 2007;Morrice, 2009;Phillimore and Goodson 2006;Shiferaw and Hagos, 2002). Participants therefore suggested that they would like to receive specific training on employment skills.…”