South Sudanese are unlikely to be employed in their job of choice despite impressive qualifications, new research has found.
The Centre for Creative and Cultural Research at the University of Canberra has taken a random sample of 72 participants from 800 South Sudanese living in Canberra.
Joseph Makuei fled fighting in what’s now South Sudan 13 years ago, arriving in Australia with an economics degree that wasn’t recognised. He graduated again from the University of Western Sydney in 2008.
“I’m good at calculations, I’m good at economics and mathematics. It’s just like medicine to me,” Mr Maukei told SBS.
The research found despite 42 per cent having a tertiary education, 53 per cent were unemployed, 96 per cent were job seekers and less than five per cent were employed in their chosen career.
The South Sudanese are the fastest-growing migrant community in Australia, but suffer an unemployment rate of 28.6 per cent - well above the national rate of 5.6 per cent.
Despite his passion for numbers, Mr Makuei said he has to take work wherever he can get it, including in factories and on farms. His most recent contract as a social worker ended last month.
“The best part of resettlement is employment, but it is very hard to get,” he said.
Those surveyed found not having a Caucasian name, their skin colour and accent impacted their likelihood of getting a job.
The Community Migrant Resource Centre in Sydney’s west helps migrants overcome these barriers to finding meaningful work.
“A lot of those barriers are unconscious bias, implicit bias and discrimination against some of the job seekers out there,” Youth Transition Support Program Manager at CMRC, Priscella Mabor said.
CMRC Executive Director, Melissa Monteiro said employers need to link up with service providers.
“It’s very important that migrants find employment in their line of study,” Ms Monteiro told SBS.
“For them to successfully be settled in Australia it’s important that they have that kind of foot in the door.”
