Skilled migration in Australia is struggling to fulfil its potential, leaving skilled migrants unable to find the opportunities they expected when deciding to emigrate, according to new research.

A survey by researchers at the University of Adelaide found that about half of skilled migrants were not using the skills and experience they brought with them.

The survey of more than 1,700 skilled migrants living in South Australia found 53 per cent felt they were not utilising their skills and abilities, with 44 per cent working in a job different to what they nominated in their visa application.

About 15 per cent reported being unemployed at the time of the survey or for most of their time in Australia – double the South Australian jobless rate. This was despite having skills deemed by government planners to be in short supply.

Senior Research Fellow at the university’s South Australian Centre for Economic Studies Dr Andreas Cebulla said the survey results indicated a big mismatch between the expectations of new migrants and the reality of the labour market – in the jobs available and in employer expectations.

“In short, the skilled migration program simply isn’t working the way it is supposed to,” Dr Cebulla said.

“Skilled migration, a mainstay of Australia’s economic and population policies, should be a win-win,” he said.

“Our research, a joint project by the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies and the Hugo Centre for Migration and Population Research, focused on the experience of migrants nominated for a visa by the South Australian government.

“Between 2010 and 2014, some 7,500 migrants came to South Australia on such visas. Our survey collected information about the employment experiences on more than 2,000 of them (culled down for various reasons). We did in-depth interviews with 20 participants.

“In our survey sample nearly 70 per cent had professional qualifications. This compares to just 20 per cent of the general South Australian population. There was also a high rate of technical and trades skills.

“Despite this, success in getting a job matching their qualifications was mixed. The unemployment rate, as noted, was twice the state average. A further 15 per cent reported being underemployed, working fewer hours than they would have liked.

“For those who found a job, 44 per cent reported not being in the occupation in which they had experience, and 54 per cent said they were in a role that did not fully utilise their qualifications,” Dr Cebulla said.

He said that his interviews identified the main barriers to migrants finding fulfilling work as: ‘a lack of local experience’ (43 per cent); ‘a lack of job opportunities’ (30 per cent); ‘skills recognition’ (12 per cent); ‘discrimination’ (10 per cent); and, ‘language’ (8 per cent).  

He said federal and state governments were looking for migrants to meet skills shortfalls and keep the economy growing and migrants were looking for a better lifestyle and economic opportunities.

The majority of Australia’s immigration intake is intended to benefit the economy. Out of about 178,000 permanent visas granted in 2017-18, about 111,000 were for migrants with skills.

A further 64,000 skilled migrants were granted temporary visas.

Of those 111,000 visas, about 35,000 were employer-sponsored, meaning visa holders had a guaranteed job. About 7,000 were business investment visas, meaning migrants were bringing enough money to employ themselves and others.

The majority – about 68,000 – were part of the General Skilled Migration (GSM) program, based on having skills deemed in short supply. The federal government’s ‘Skilled Occupation List’ now covers more than 670 occupations, from ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker’ to ‘Zoologist’.

See the research report:  https://www.adelaide.edu.au/saces/system/files/media/documents/2019-09/saces-economic-issues-52.pdf