Job Insecurity: A Comparative Analysis between Migrant and Native Workers in Australia

Abstract

Job insecurity is a modifiable risk factor for poor health outcomes, and exposure to job insecurity varies by population groups. This study assessed if job insecurity exposure varied by migrant status and if the differences varied by gender, age, educational attainment, and occupational skill level. Data were from wave 14 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. The outcome was job insecurity. Exposure was migrant status defined by (1) the country of birth (COB), (2) the dominant language of the COB, and (3) the number of years since arrival in Australia. Data were analysed using linear regression, adjusting for gender, age, educational attainment, and occupational skill level. These covariates were also analysed as effect modifiers for the migrant status–job insecurity relationships. Migrant workers, especially those from non-English speaking countries (non-ESC-born), experienced higher job insecurity than Australia-born workers; however, these disparities disappeared after 11+ years post-arrival. The migrant status–job insecurity relationships were modified by educational attainment. Unexpectedly, the disparities in job insecurity between non-ESC-born migrants and Australia-born workers increased with increasing educational attainment, and for those most highly educated, the disparities persisted beyond 11 years post-arrival. Our findings suggested that continuing language skill support and discrimination prevention could facilitate migrant integration into the Australian labour market.

Psychosocial job characteristics and mental health: Do associations differ by migrant status in an Australian working population sample?

“…The score of job insecurity was computed by summing the three items running from 3 to 21, with a higher score representing higher job insecurity (Cronbach’s α = 0.67). This scale has been shown to have good internal consistency in previous Australian studies [ 16 , 24 , 45 , 46 ].…”

“…In our previous studies of the same sample [ 23 ], we found that migrants from Non-English-speaking countries experience lower skill discretion than Australian-born workers even more than 11 years post-arrival in Australia, while migrants and Australian-born workers have similar decision authority. Furthermore, migrants from Non-English-speaking countries have higher job insecurity than Australian-born workers up to 11 years post-arrival [ 24 ]. In particular, highly educated migrants from Non-English-speaking countries with bachelor or postgraduate educational level experience ‘double adverse exposures’ (lower skill discretion and higher job insecurity) even after 11 years post-arrival in Australia [ 23 , 24 ].…”

“…It has been reported that migrant workers have a higher prevalence of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, sleep disorders and burnout than native-born workers [ 1 , 7 , 8 , 19 – 21 ]. Previous studies have shown that migrant workers are more likely to experience adverse psychosocial job characteristics, such as job strain [ 22 ], lower skill discretion and job complexity [ 23 ] and higher job insecurity [ 24 ] than native-born workers. However, only a small number of previous studies have examined migrant status-based differences in psychosocial job characteristic―mental health associations internationally and in Australia [ 8 , 25 – 27 ], and the few studies to date are inconsistent as to whether migrant compared to native-born workers are more vulnerable to psychosocial job characteristics in relation to mental health [ 8 ]: some studies reported that the associations between psychosocial job characteristics and psychological distress were similar between migrant and native-born workers [ 28 ], while some other studies found that the associations were stronger among native-born workers [ 29 , 30 ].…”

“…However, language proficiency and years since arrival in the host country may influence migrants’ working experiences. For example, migrants from Non-English-speaking countries and recently arrived migrants are more likely to experience higher job insecurity than Australian-born workers, but not migrants from Main-English-speaking countries and migrants who arrived in Australia more than 11 years previously [ 24 ]. Limited English proficiency is an important barrier to accessing good jobs among migrants in English-speaking countries [ 31 ], and―once employed―limited English proficiency is also a barrier to getting help and support, making such workers more susceptible to isolation and discrimination at work [ 32 ].…”

“…The number of migrants in Australia is increasing, and nearly 60% are employed [ 35 ]. Migrant workers in Australia have been shown to experience lower skill discretion/complexity and higher job insecurity than Australian-born workers, especially those from Non-English-speaking countries and those recently arrived [ 23 , 24 ]. However, whether migrants are differentially affected by psychosocial job characteristic-associated impacts on mental health compared to Australian-born workers is unclear, especially when language proficiency and years since arrival in the host country are taken into account.…”