Submission: Employment White Paper

Dec 2, 2022 | Policy & Research

Australia is a migrant nation and has relied on migration for population growth and labour productivity for decades. As the peak body for settlement services, the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) represents a community of members whose core work is helping people make Australia home.

Australia welcomes people through a range of visa pathways, including skilled, family reunion and humanitarian pathways. Acknowledging that all people who permanently move to Australia undergo a process of settlement, this submission includes consideration of the factors affecting employment of people across the full spectrum of migrants and refugees living permanently in Australia. However, we include a particular focus on the issues affecting humanitarian entrants and those arriving through the family stream, as these are the majority of clients our sector currently supports.

In this submission we offer policy and program recommendations to best set up migrants and refugees to contribute to Australia’s economic future. We highlight several barriers to the full employment of migrants and refugees including skills qualifications recognition, lack of Australian work experience, language barriers, family and childcare commitments among others.