Deakin University researchers have developed a groundbreaking guide to help Australian employers hire refugees and asylum seekers.
Launched by the Centre for Refugee Employment, Advocacy, Training and Education (CREATE), the guide simplifies the hiring process, reduces employment barriers and highlights the benefits of a diverse workforce.
This initiative contributes to a more inclusive, skilled workforce while giving refugees the opportunity to rebuild their careers and lives in Australia.
The guide forms the flagship project of the award-winning research centre CREATE. Since 2019, CREATE’s research has examined better ways to support the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into the Australian workforce.
The 10-page Guide for Employers: Supporting Access to Employment for People from a Refugee or Asylum-Seeking Background, helps simplify processes for different visas and explains the work rights of potential employees with a refugee or asylum-seeking background.
The practical, multi-beneficial guide will ultimately contribute to reducing workforce exclusion and establish a more diverse, highly skilled workforce by highlighting the value of hiring people from refugee backgrounds to potential employers.
By providing clear, concise guidance around what employers need to know when employing a person from a refugee background including visas, how-to-employ instructions, benefits of diverse employment and case studies, the guide aspires to reduce unemployment in one of Australia’s most vulnerable employment groups.
The daily barriers and challenges faced when acclimatising to a new country are well-known. When coupled with a rapidly changing employment environment and unfamiliar hiring processes, individuals from a refugee background can find securing employment challenging.
By reducing the barriers to employers, refugees and asylum seekers have a better chance of gaining employment. Many organisations perceive hiring refugees as complex, largely due to challenges in verifying qualifications and determining work rights across various visa categories. However, the reality is that the large majority of people from a refugee and asylum seeker background are eligible to work in Australia.
In addition to providing important information about work rights and visa requirements, the Guide is supported by CREATE’s extensive repository of activities that target both organisations and employees, allowing for a more streamlined, inclusive onboarding process.
The innovative research being undertaken by CREATE was recognised in 2020’s Australian Financial Review Awards Equity and Opportunity category. From research-based employment programs to career clinics to higher education and employment guides, CREATE’s research is industry- and world-leading in supporting people from refugee backgrounds to rebuild their careers.
Hiring people from refugee backgrounds brings fresh ideas and perspectives, driving innovation, productivity and staff retention. Supporting their integration helps build stronger, more connected communities locally and globally.
Significantly, CREATE’s guide draws on the voices of successfully employed people from refugee backgrounds to showcase the positive impact employment has had on their lives. One such person was Ali (a pseudonym) who fled Afghanistan and applied for protection in Australia. He remains on a bridging visa with full work rights, as his application is yet to be assessed.
Ali says that even with his experience and university qualifications, he was never shortlisted for an interview. Common feedback was that he had no local experience.
With CREATE’s support, he was successful in gaining employment: 'I remember that first day…everyone was so fast. I was a bit stressed out and confused of how to learn everything. But thanks to all your support and help, I have learned a lot and this makes me feel more confident.'
This firsthand feedback provides a valuable tool for helping organisations enhance their understanding of the barriers faced by refugees in seeking employment and assists in ensuring meaningful employment opportunities for those from a refugee background.
The guide is currently used by over 30 community sector organisations, with a high online access rate of about 200 views per month.
This work was supported by the Australia Research Council with $207,287 in research funding. Key collaborators include The Uniting Asylum Seeker Program, Career Seekers and The Salvation Army Asylum Seeker Services.
Explore the guide and discover how organisations can benefit from hiring refugees and asylum seekers.
