More support for migrant and refugee jobseekers to capitalise on the skills and qualifications they bring with them and a focus on improving digital literacy should be areas of focus for an incoming government ahead of the November 26 Victorian election.

Migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia says addressing these key issues would deliver significant benefits to refugee and migrant families as well to Victoria’s overall economy.

AMES Australia CEO Cath Scarth said many migrants and refugees struggled to find employment commensurate with their skills and experience.

“If we can support newly arrived people to overcome these barriers – which can include qualifications recognition, a lack of local work experience and reluctance on the part of employers to provide opportunities – it would benefit both the jobseekers and their families and also the wider economy by better leveraging the skills and experience migrants and refugees bring with them,” Ms Scarth said.

“We at AMES have seen the positive results short, intense programs can have in supporting migrants and refugees find employment fitting their skills and experience. An expansion of these programs would pay for itself through a skills dividend and especially at a time when Victoria is in the grip of a dire skills shortage,” she said.

Another area where diverse communities are being left behind is in digital literacy, Ms Scarth said.

“Digital literacy and access to online platforms is now essential for people to be able to access services and opportunities and, increasingly to find employment.

“We saw through the pandemic how migrants and refugees and people from diverse communities were disadvantaged by a lack of digital literacy or access to devices. We see an opportunity for an incoming state government to improve digital literacy among diverse communities to improve employment and health outcomes and also to build social cohesion,” Ms Scarth said.

She said support for newly arrived skilled migrants to be able to contribute to the economic life of Victoria should also be a focus of a new state government.

“Programs that introduce professional migrants to Australian workplace culture, to job seeking techniques and which include industry mentors and networking opportunities have had success in making the most of the skills migrants and refugees bring with them,” Ms Scarth said.

“Victoria leads the nation in recognising, valuing and promoting multiculturalism as one of our greatest strengths. AMES Australia would urge an incoming government to commit to strong policies that strengthen diverse communities’ sense of belonging and access to economic and social participation,” she said.        

AMES Australia – election opportunities

Support for refugee, migrant jobseekers

Specialist, bespoke programs supporting refugee and migrant jobseekers which focus on overcoming their particular barriers and building on their strengths have been proven to improve employment outcomes. AMES Australia’s Individualised Pathway Plan works assists newly arrived refugees and migrants in learning how to apply their skills and experience in the workplace and find opportunities to up skill or reskill in the Australian labour market. In 2020, from a cohort of 500 jobseekers 256 were supported to find sustain able work and another one hundred were guided into educational and training pathways. 

Digital literacy

Digital literacy and access to digital devices is critical in accessing the many services and opportunities delivered online. Different cohorts of migrants and refugees have varying experiences in accessing services digitally. Some groups may have great difficulty due to limited digital literacy and low English language proficiency. Other people come with no experience using computers and the internet. Many new arrivals need a significant amount of training and support before developing computer literacy and functional knowledge of government systems. We at AMES Australia believe digital literacy should be embedded in the settlement process. The Victorian Government has an existing CALD-focused digital literacy program. This should be extended and broadened.  

Skilled migration support package

Many skilled migrants struggle to find work fitting their skills, experience and qualifications. Australia is missing out on the skills these people bring with them at a time of dire skills shortages. AMES Australia’s Skilled Professional Migrant Program has achieved extraordinary results supporting migrants begin their professional careers in Australia.

A recent evaluation of the program found that 77 per cent of participants had found work within six months of completing the program and 58 per cent were in professional work aligned with their qualifications. Ninety-one per cent had found satisfying employment within two years of completing the course.