More than half of migrant women have been sexually harassed at work, according to a new survey.

The national survey of more than 3,000 migrant women, carried out by Unions NSW, found 51 per cent had experienced workplace sexual harassment.

And three quarters of the women did not report the sexual harassment over fears about jeopardising their immigration status or being punished.

Bosses, supervisors, customers and co-workers were among the most common perpetrators, the survey found.

Among the industries with the highest levels of harassment were construction, in which 82 per cent of women reported harassment, horticulture (53 per cent), hospitality (51 per cent), retail (50 per cent) and cleaning (42 per cent).

Sexual comments and jokes were the most common type of harassment, as well as intrusive questions. Many women also faced unwanted touching, kissing or “cornering”, inappropriate staring, or repeated invitations to go on dates, the report said.

Seventy-five per cent of women did not report the sexual harassment to anyone and half ended up quitting their jobs because they felt like they were in danger.

“Migrant women on temporary visas are forced to endure sexual harassment in silence,” the report stated.

Secretary of Unions NSW Mark Morey said there was a “culture of intimidation” in many Australian workplaces.

“I think there are a lot of cultural and racist stereotypes that feed into the behaviour of men who perceive these women as just sexual objects who can be exploited, and that is a significant cultural problem within our workplaces in Australia,” Mr Morey said.

He said women who tried to defend themselves, reject unwanted advances or report harassment faced repercussions including being fired, having their shifts cut, underpayment and bullying.

“Some of them have had confrontations with their harassers. Some of them told stories of fighting them off and fleeing, having to punch them in the head,” he said.

“In one case, we had an employee who was taken in a car by her manager and propositioned, and she had to basically jump out of the car and run.”

Human rights lawyer Prabha Nandagopal said under-reporting of sexual harassment was “rife” in Australia, especially among migrant women.

“We need to understand that for these women, they often don’t experience sexually harassing behaviours in isolation — it’s often compounded by exploitative work conditions as well as racial discrimination,” she said.

Another study by the Australian Human Rights Commission carried out in 2022 found more than 40 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men had experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years.

The Unions NSW report recommended several solutions including the establishment of independent migrant worker centres in all states, requiring employers to prevent sexual harassment and introducing visa protections so women can report harassment without fearing for their immigration status.