Australian residents, who came here as refugees or asylum seekers, that have good English and local qualifications have no guarantee for employment. In fact, often it is not easy to gain permanent employment that matches their professional skills.

Boy and Majak, two young gentlemen from Sudan who came to Australia under the Humanitarian Visa are facing what has become a common experience for skilled refugees. They both speak English well and have finished their diplomas of Information Technology from Victoria University. Ideally there should not be too many difficulties in gaining employment.

“I am trying to figure out what makes it difficult for me to get the job. What I have (now) is not overseas qualification, it is a qualification which was I gained from Australian institution. It should have been easier for me to get the job but that (is) still harder and harder (to find jobs). So it is hard to tell”, said Boy.

He also added, “I thought that maybe it could be some sort of – you know – race issue or human rights issue.”

According to Gavin Ackerly– manager at Asylum Seekers Resource Centre (ASRC) – English is only a small part of the issue. Generally - a lack of Australian qualifications or recognized international qualifications and a lack of work experience in Australia are the biggest problems. 

“There are a lot more barriers that refugees face like lack of networks which is a really big one."

Sixty to seventy per cent of jobs are coming from someone knowing somebody. Networking is a big issue. That’s about refugees being accepted into the community.”

Since ASRC started providing services for asylum seekers and refugees in transition* under its employment program, ASSET, the success rate of the program has increased by fifty per cent.

He also added that it is essential to understand the Australian system, which might be confusing and very difficult for people from non-English speaking backgrounds to navigate. “The reason is Australian bosses. We are quite an isolated country…In Australia; this whole movement of people from Africa is really recent for our country compared to others. So bosses are just not sure what the standards are… so they will make the decision to not take the risk (of employing people from other cultures).”

The main issue facing refugees trying to gain employment doesn’t seem to be a lack of qualifications but rather a lack of trust by the greater community. If all parties involved created an opportunity for communication and learning there might be better opportunities available for everyone.

For more information about ASRC employment and training program, contact employment@asrc.org.au or check www.asset.asrc.org.au

Note: ‘Refugees in transition’ means asylum seekers who have already gained their status as refugees on-shore but are still in a transitional period.
‘ASSET’ means Asylum Seeker Service for Employment and Training