International student‐workers in Australia: a new vulnerable workforce

Abstract

In the period immediately preceding the 2007 Australian election, much attention was accorded to the impact of the nation's labour laws on vulnerable employees. This debate centred on specific groups including women, youth, migrants and workers on individual employment contracts. International students, by contrast, were ignored in the debate. This omission reflects the fact that though three million students study outside their home country, this community has not previously made an appearance in the labour studies literature. In this paper, we address this omission by depicting the work experience of 200 international students studying in Australian higher education institutions. We argue that a much greater proportion of international students participate in the labour market than earlier research has indicated and that in many cases they are compelled to accept very poor conditions of employment. Furthermore, we suggest that as major sponsors of international student visas, universities should inform and protect students' labour rights and that given the dire situation of many they must become a recognised part of the vulnerable-worker debate. IntroductionOver 519,000 international students were enrolled onshore in Australian education institutions at the end of 2008, an increase of 20% over the previous year. These visitors tend to remain for one to four years and through this period have long had the right to be employed for 20 hours per week during semester and an unlimited number of hours at other times. In September 2007, these work-time stipulations were modified to permit international students to obtain up to 18 months work experience on completing their studies. The large and growing number of international students and the 2007 extension of the time they can remain and accept employment are of significance. This is not least because research by Forbes-Mewett et al. (in press) has revealed that many international students experience severe financial difficulties while studying in Australia with a significant proportion having a non-wage income less than half the Henderson Poverty Line. Despite their consequent vulnerability,

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