Jobs and Skills Australia has recently released its latest insights into the ‘Australian Labour Market for Migrants’. The aim of the publication is to “inform recent migrants to Australia, people interested in working in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis, and organisations providing services to migrants and potential visa applicants.”
The report contains general information about the state of the labour market (by industry and state/territory) as well as on the labour force participation of migrants. And with many VET providers working with recent migrants and/or partnering with organisations that do – the report has some useful insights for RTO planning purposes.
It identifies that the Australian labour market is performing well, but “there are ongoing signs of an easing in labour market conditions.” And if this trend continues then we can expect more demand for VET qualifications, particularly from younger students (as enrolments in full qualifications in VET are typically counter-cyclical especially for school leavers, ie VET enrolments are lower when the labour market is strong and individuals find it easier to find work).
Returning to the JSA study, it finds that currently “Australian-born people represent the highest share of people employed in Tasmania (80.5%) and the lowest share in WA (58.3%). The share of employed people born in other than main English-speaking countries (OTMESC) is highest in Victoria, NSW and the ACT (30.2%, 28.9% and 29.1% respectively).”
Unsurprisingly the data shows wide differences in the employment rates for migrants to Australia – with factors such as a person’s skill level, age, English language skills, work experience and time in Australia all playing a role.
“People born in North West Europe had the lowest unemployment rate (2.9%), while the unemployment rate for people born in North Africa and the Middle East (6.8%) was relatively high (possibly reflecting English language proficiency and period of residence in Australia).”
One policy area for future consideration could be how to meet the needs of female migrants – with JSA identifying that, “in February 2025, recent female migrants had the highest unemployment rate in six states and territories. The highest female recent migrant unemployment rate was in Queensland at 7.9%.”
