African Migrants Finding Corporate Jobs
African migrants often have trouble finding work in Australia, but a paid
internship program has helped more than 100 people find full-time jobs in the
corporate sector.
The African Australian Inclusion Program offers six months paid internships
at a major Australian corporation. Since its inception in 2009 more 80% of its
graduates have found full-time work.
Ali John is one of the program’s success stories. Today he is an analyst at
National Australia Bank. But when he first arrived in Australia in 2011 he had
to take a job as a waiter, despite being a university educated IT professional in
South Sudan.
“As Africans our biggest issues is getting into the Australian workforce,
because our experience in Africa is completely irrelevant, finding a job is
really hard and most people want local experience.”
Unemployment in Australia’s South Sudanese community is over 25%. Ali
John says he applied for 10 to 15 jobs a day, but like many of his friends was
unable to find work in his industry and so took any job he could get.
“Most of my friends are really qualified people but they’re just working in
factories,” he said.
Jesuit Social Services director, Pamela Webb, said it’s difficult to make the step
from laboring jobs to the corporate sector, particularly for migrants and
refugees. “It’s so hard to get out of the factory, we know in any job you get
defined by that job, often you need something to intervene,”
For Mr. John that was the African Australian Inclusion Program. Six months of
paid work experience has turned into a career at a major Australian bank. He
says the benefits of his employment have created a ripple effect in his
community.
Zimbabwean-born Farayi Mutasi has an Australian university degree, but he
too faces obstacles in joining the workforce. He says after months of applying
for jobs, he eventually has to return to his previous occupation.
“I had to go back to warehousing, I was about to give up. I was discussing with
my mother should I go back home and take care of her at least and look for
other things because working in the warehouse is not what I wanted, it’s not
my passion.”
A 2013 Parliamentary Inquiry found some common employment barriers for
migrants and refugees included indirect discrimination-such as employers
preferring applicants with Anglo-Saxon sounding names. It also found the
language barrier and a lack of Australian work experience as obstacles to full-
time employment. This often results in migrants and refugees taking low
skilled, low paying jobs.
Olakunle O. Bolarinwa.
Is a Nightline Family Member Of The Voice Of America {VOA}.
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