Migrants generally have higher employment rates that Australian-born residents, a new report shows.

The ‘Australian Labour Market for Migrants’ report, produced by Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), says that migrants who arrived in Australia over the past 20 years generally have higher labour force participation than Australian-born residents.

They also often have lower rates of unemployment, the report says.

The report provides information on Australian labour market conditions and is intended to inform people interested in working in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis.

It shows that labour force participation rates for people born in main English-speaking countries (MESC) and other than main English-speaking countries (OTMESC) are generally higher than for Australian-born persons, with the exception of those migrants who arrived more than 20 years ago.

The report also shows that the unemployment rates for people who migrate to Australia vary appreciably, influenced by factors such as skill level, age, English language proficiency, recent and relevant work experience and the period since arrival in Australia.

“Recently arrived migrants have a higher unemployment rate on average than those who have lived in Australia for some years. Those migrants who have been in Australia longer generally have lower rates of unemployment than Australian-born residents,” the report said.

“Australian-born people represent the highest share of employed people in Tasmania (84.6 per cent) and the lowest share in WA (59.7 per cent),” the report says.

“The share of employed people born in other than main English-speaking countries (OTMESC) is highest in Victoria, NSW and the NT (29.8 per cent, 27.7 per cent and 27.5 per cent respectively).

The report says unemployment rates for people who migrate to Australia vary considerably.

“Several factors influence migrant unemployment rates including skill level, age, English language proficiency, recent and relevant work experience and the period since arrival in Australia,” the report says.

“Data consistently shows that recently arrived migrants have a higher unemployment rate on average than those who have lived in Australia for some years,” it says.

Over the 12 months to November 2023, employment opportunities and growth for all Australians varied widely across industries. The largest increases in trend employment occurred in Health Care and Social Assistance (up by 127,400), Construction (up by 67,800) and Manufacturing (up by 49,400).

The largest decreases in employment occurred in Accommodation and Food Services (down by 18,200), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (down by 6,600) and Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services (down by 4,300).

The strongest rates of employment growth were in Arts and Recreation Services (up by 7.5 per cent), Health Care and Social Assistance (up by 6.1 per cent) and Manufacturing (up by 5.6 per cent).

Read more here: Australian Labour Market for Migrants – April 2024 | Jobs and Skills Australia