Labour market outcomes for migrants

Migrants in Australia have very similar unemployment rates to the Australia-born as well as a relatively low rate compared to migrants in other countries. With an unemployment rate of just 5.2 per cent, Australia’s migrants have the second lowest rate of unemployment of all OECD countries after Israel. Recent migrants, with their younger and more educated profile, are the main contributing factor to Australia’s increased labour force participation rate.

According to the department’s Continuous Survey of Australia’s Migrants, recently arrived skilled migrants have strong employment outcomes. At the six month stage of settlement, the unemployment rate for skilled migrants was 5 per cent, six months later the unemployment rate for this group had fallen to less than half this rate. 

The participation rate for skilled migrants six months after arrival was 96 per cent, far higher than the national rate of 65 per cent.  At the 12-month settlement stage, around 8-in-10 skilled migrants were working in a full-time job, and almost three-quarters of skilled migrants were working in a skilled job.

Soursed from the DIAC