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Foreign graduates refused work due to racism
Australia’s $15 billion dollar education industry which saw a revival over the last year is now facing a significant threat because international students in popular courses like accounting, nursing and engineering are being shunned by employers due to alleged racism, reports the Australian Financial Review.
A senior bureaucrat in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship who consults with Australian employers extensively, was quoted in a recent report by the Deakin University as saying there is an “inherent degree of racism amongst middle management in Australia”, states The Australian Financial Review. This is making it difficult for international students to find jobs after graduation.
The Deakin University report, Australian International Graduates and the Transition to Employment, bluntly concludes international graduates without a permanent visa are unlikely to find work in their discipline area in Australia.
“According to our interviews with employers, academics, peak bodies and international graduates, without permanent residency (PR), international graduates are unlikely to secure employment in their field in Australia,” the report states.
The report also found racism remained a problem for students, with “many [participants] in this study experienced discrimination in some form during their time in Australia”.
Employers had a range of issues with international graduates beyond their visa status, including “poor communication skills, inadequate soft skills, and lack of local work experience”. The authors say universities need to take responsibility for ensuring international graduates are job ready, including assisting the overseas students to improve their communication skills and general job readiness.
The report was based on a qualitative and quantitative study of 107 international students and 93 non-students.
Read more: http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/src/crefi/documents/international-graduates-employment.pdf
Comments
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Saturday, 01 November 2014Adding to the employers factor mentioned in the article, skill assessment authorities are bluntly escalating our problems by making it harder and harder to get a GSM skill assessment. The best example of this is ACS. They recently have added a 1-year mandatory post-qualification work experience for international students who have attained their degree here in Australia. This is really not hard to sink in that all IT graduates are now in a state of deadlock! We can't get a GSM skill assessment and a permanent resident visa if don't satisfy the new criteria of post-qualification work experience, and we can't get a job to satisfy the criteria as most employers want permanent residents!
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Monday, 03 November 2014
Why is the racist card always the first played?
Is it not conceivable that they may not be the best candidates for the job?
In my experience, English language proficiency is a big issue. I am often surprised at the poor level of English of candidates who have completed Degree Level and higher qualifications in Australia. -
Wednesday, 05 November 2014
Is it only English language problem or culturally based behaviour problem. I have lived and worked in Australia for 39 years with the active involvement in the post-arrival settlement services. Often it is the cultural divide that often blocks integration .
Immigration blog
Poor communication skills include problems with accent, problems understanding the average Australian client on the telephone, and lack of sensitivity to the way Australian clients expect to be treated. In 2004-2009, we offered a course in linguistic acclimatisation. It was hugely successful. We had employers calling for a second candidate because of the success of the first. Unfortunately, the crash of 2009-2010 saw a decrease in student attendance and employer demand, and we discontinued it. Racism, as contemptible as it is, is always an issue in hiring; but people with credentials who are seen to fit into the way of life of the firm usually get hired and usually do well. You do not have to sacrifice ethnicity to be seen as one of the team.
I have had discussions with academics who define what we were trying to do to assist migrants as 'racism.' It is a very thorny topic, laden with emotion. Mere good will and good outcomes is not always enough to please people who have spent their lives studying the topic.