Constructing careers and negotiating barriers: success factors of skilled immigrants in western countries

Abstract presented at the International Metropolis Conference, 29 October - 2 November 2018, Sydney, Australi

Refugee access and participation in tertiary education and training

This report includes recommendations about refugee access to tertiary education and training and is based on research conducted by ICEPA to identify best practice relating to issues faced by refugees in, or seeking access to, the tertiary education and training sector. The research project also evaluated the education and training programs, alternative entry schemes and any other support services which assist refugees to realise their educational goals in Victorian universities and TAFE institutes

The influence of regional community characteristics on employer recruitment decision making

The Question/Problem: A significant proportion of permanent skilled immigrants in Australia remain underemployed in the labour market relative to their skill sets. Scholarly work attempting to identify the causes of this underemployment of immigrant professionals has tended to focus on immigrants\u27 human capital deficits such as overseas qualifications (Hawthorne, 1994; Productivity Commission Research Report, 2006), overseas based work experiences (Aydemir & Skuterud, 2004; Bauder & Cameron, 2002), and lack of proficiency in English language (Birrell, Hawthorne, & Richardson, 2006; Shields & Wheatley-Price, 2002). Yet other literature suggests that skill utilisation of immigrant professionals can depend on employers - on their values, social conventions, information exchange and awareness in relation to new immigrant skills and on the operation of social networks that may facilitate and impede immigrant access to employment (McAllister & Moore, 1989; Evans & Kelley, 1991; Bauder & Cameron, 2002; Tubergen, Maas & Flap, 2004; Productivity Commission Research Report, 2006; Markus, 2009). Surprisingly, little is known of the role of employers in this process and the social context in which employers operate. We report the findings from a study examining how regional community characteristics and the issue of trust influence employer screening of immigrant professionals

BOOK REVIEW-IMMUNITY TO CHANGE

In an era of ‘Supercapitalism’1 competition is unrelenting and ubiquitous. Innovation and change become the keys to survival for organisations. Yet the human factors in organisations are often last to change in response to these pressures. In Peter Hayward’s review of Immunity to Change we learn there are tools to uncover the deep seated psychological barriers to change within organisations and how to expose those barriers so that they can be tackled. Peter Hayward’s review explains how people in organisations don’t mindlessly cling to old attitudes and ways of doing things. They do so because of the power of assumptions – myths, misconceptions, fallacies – that validate their way of operating. His review notes the practical ways proposed in Kegan and Lahey’s book to address these barriers and connect successfully with the people issues in organisations. As such, the book is of potential benefit to all innovators, whether they be in business, government or the not-for-profit sector

The power of cultural diversity in the work place: have we got it right? (Postgraduate Public Lecture Series 2013)

Presented by Professor Barry O'Mahony Head of Group, Marketing, Tourism and Social Impact and Professor of Services Management. In this presentation, Professor Barry O'Mahony reflects on how functional knowledge, that is, the knowledge generated within industry, government and consultancy can be captured within an academic framework to provide practical solutions to real world problems. Drawing on current research and self-reflection, Professor O'Mahony explains how industry practitioners can extend their current skill sets to include academic endeavours. These endeavours allow the development of a more holistic, rounded career or to change careers by capitalising on the benefits of the extra disciplinary knowledge built up in non-academic environments

Unions, the workplace and social cohesion

Employment is a major site of activity and aspirations for most immigrants to Australia. This is as true for permanent settlers as for temporary workers and refugees. Employment confers income, status and acceptance within society, and the ability to live independently and with dignity. Without employment, immigrants become marginalised and unable to interact effectively with the receiving society. While employment is important to most people, either directly or indirectly, it has particular significance for immigrants, given their high initial establishment costs, their concern to assist relatives and friends overseas, and the economic aspirations that motivate many to emigrate in the first place. This chapter starts from the view that the overall quantity and quality of available employment is vital to people's sense of well-being and social inclusion in Australian society. In an era of increasing casualisation, fragmentation and deregulation of work, the quality of work on offer is as important to consider as the quantity. If social cohesion (or social harmony) is understood to be an absence of violence, ghettoisation and class conflict, then the inclusion of immigrants in appropriate, dignified and adequately rewarded employment would seem to be vital to any quest for enduring harmony in society. Recent trends in the regulation of employmentm immigration policy and ongoing economic restructuring suggest there are growing pressure points in the Australian labour market that threaten social cohesion. Immigrants and other new settlers stand at the centre of these trends and are among the most vulnerable to their influence. While the situation of immigrant workers and their families is diverse and complex, some cautionary insights can be gleaned from analysing the trends. This chapter examines, in broad terms, the kinds of changes that have occurred in the employment sphere, the changing role of immigrant workers (the focus in this context being those from diverse linguistic backgrounds) within the Australian economy and their patterns of participation in our multicultural workforce. The chapter will outline the particular types of occupational change and workforce restructuring affecting Australian-born and immigrant labour over the past 15-20 years. This is followed by a more focused discussion of changes to legislation in industrial relations and the role of trade unions in the working lives of immigrant workers. Broader policy impacts on the labour market such as immigration policy, deregulation and international competition are considered. The chapter concludes with an analysis of potential winners and losers among the multicultural workforce and ways that this could undermine social cohesion. Suggestions are made as to how some policy balance maybe restored that would benefit all vulnerable workers, induding immigrants, while ensuring the ongoing development of a flexible and competitive labour market

A precarious future: migrants and structural change

As the winds of change sweep across Australian workplaces, all groups---to a greater or lesser extent---are being affected. Men, women, white and blue collar workers, migrants and Australian-born workers, part-time and full-time---all are witnessing major changes in their workplaces, and many are feeling the effects directly in their work roles, employment conditions and job security. The causes of these changes are many, but essentially they result from a combination of global economic forces and the pursuit of neo-classical economic policies locally. These have translated in practice into many jargon terms and so-called reform processes which are now familiar to us, such as: competition policy, deregulation, privatisation, tariff cuts, downsizing, corporate restructuring, contracting out and industrial relations reform, and, at the workplace level, such management innovations as delayering, devolution of responsibility, team work, multiskilling, total quality management and so on. I paint this picture because all these changes are an important piece of the contextual framework in which to consider the likely scenario for Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) workers in the new millennium. The major role played by unemployment and underemployment in the national economy is another vital piece of the picture, and likely to be so until well after 2000. I would like to be positive about the likely scenario for NESB migrant workers, and for some, this will in fact be the case. As with the other major groups in the labour market I mentioned earlier, there will be winners and losers and it is impossible to generalise about all individuals in the NESB category. Just as women are a highly differentiated group, depending on their age, marital status, number of dependents, occupation, employment status, ethnicity, residential location and, of course, personality, so are NESB migrants. However, there is enough current research into the general situation and characteristics of NESB migrants in the labour market to make some broad statements which would hold true for a great many members of this category. This research suggests a mixed picture, both positive and negative, with some migrant workers benefiting from the changes but others facing major disadvantages, including marginalisation in the workplace or exclusion from the labour market itself through long term unemployment. Given the continued primacy of work in the lives of many Australians, the import of such research has particular implications for the future of multiculturalism in Australia

Migrants, industry policy and decentralisation: from the Accord to the Workplace Relations Act

The Prices and Incomes Accord was the centrepiece of Labor's social and economic policy. Through its multiple phases it underpinned the Government's reform strategy, including the decentralisation of industrial relations. While the original Accord affirmed a commitment to immigration and multiculturalism, the welfare of migrant workers was never an explicit concern in this or subsequent versions. However the early provisions for centralised wage fixing and the social wage offered major benefits to vulnerable groups such as migrants. Later phases of the Accord, framed within the context of economic deregulation and industry restructuring, helped accelerate the loss of lower ,skilled 'migrant' jobs, and introduced decentralised bargaining. With the election of a Coalition government in 1996, the Accord is defunct and more 'reforms' are foreshadowed in the Workplace Relations Act. From the Accord to the Workplace Relations Act, the ongoing decentralisation of bargaining poses dangers for migrant workers, whose bargaining power has been eroded by long term structural changes in the manufacturing industries

Employment changes for migrants and refugees: where are we going?

The changing nature of Australia's industry and where immigrant women workers are employed within it is always a key consideration for MCWH strategic planning. We asked Associate Professor Santina Bertone to address our recent AGM on this subject. Her presentation included invaluable insight into potential future directions for engaging immigrant women in the Australian workforce. This article is based on that presentation

Precarious bystanders: temporary migrant workers and multiculturalism

Abstract not available