A lack of work experience and access to local networks were common reasons cited by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.
Accountants, civil engineers and chefs who have migrated to Australia were among the least likely to find work in their profession.
The Committee for Economic Development of Australia [[CEDA]] says a skills mismatch cost at least one-and-a-quarter billion dollars in forgone wages between 2013 and 2018.
That mismatch happens, for example, if a qualified engineer works instead as an Uber driver.
About 23 per cent of permanent skilled migrants, or 34,000 people in Australia are working in jobs beneath their skill level.
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant a faster shift to the digital world - and there are calls for structural change in the migration system to help rebuild the economy once the pandemic is over.
