This week, Australia celebrates the one million refugees who’ve made a home here since the end of World War Two. While some employers are offering new jobs and training, there are also calls to cut the refugee intake and some initiatives are at risk.
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TRANSCRIPT
When Natalia Akulova was living in Ukraine, and even before war broke out, she dreamed of visiting the Sydney Opera House.
“For me, Sydney Opera House has a really special meaning I was amazed by its beauty.”
Days after arriving in Australia as a refugee in 2022, the 36-year-old mother of two visited the iconic concert hall but had no idea it would change her life in unexpected ways.
“It was kind of symbol of a new life, new start and that the dreams come true in a very strange way!”
Despite high level skills and qualifications, like many Ms Akulova has struggled to find suitable work.
“Unfortunately, it's not that easy to find a job for refugees. Even if you have big CV with solid experience, it is still challenging to prove that your experience matters, that it is still valuable here.”
However this month, she was among the first group to graduate from a refugee pilot project at Sydney Opera House.
“This eight-weeks cadetship helped me build confidence in my skills in interviewing skills, communicating to people.”
Overseeing the refugee project is Prinisha Naidoo, Sydney Opera House senior manager of equity and inclusion.
“The primary intent of the program was around giving participants and migrant refugees the opportunity to get local experience and build some of those professional networks within Australia. The Opera House has also built cultural capability. It's been very mutually beneficial.”
Another graduate, Waseem Michael Adam fled Iraq with his mother fearing for their safety. Like Ms Akulova, he arrived in 2022 with high level information technology skills and has also struggled to find a relevant role.
“In four years actually I have applied like hundreds of jobs. I didn't get a chance to be accepted in any of these jobs.”
That all changed when a social enterprise called, connecting him with the Opera House.
“It was actually a big moment in my life. It's something, let's say there are no words to describe. Yeah I'm very happy and I was very excited from deep down my heart.”
The social enterprise was Community Corporate founded by Carmen Garcia, who has built partnerships with 200 organisations across Australia, helping to give refugees a fair go.
“The biggest barrier for refugees like Waseem is no local experience in Australia and no employers willing to give them a chance to prove themselves. This is why partnerships and companies that invest, like the Sydney Opera House, create a welcoming workplace, a soft landing where they can prove and demonstrate they can add value to the business.”
But barriers persist. Professor Betina Szkudlarek from the University of Sydney Business School, says many employers still hold misconceptions about refugees.
“This might be around visa status or around skills and education of refugees. So, we know that those misconceptions prevent employers from engaging in recruiting refugees. But we also know that those employers who are willing to open up their mind, there is a world of opportunities for them to expand their talent pool.”
This week Australia celebrates the one million refugees who’ve settled here since the end of World War II. But global attitudes to refugees and migrants more broadly are changing, as Professor Skudlarek explains.
“There is an increasing backlash against DEI initiatives in the US, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most companies in Australia remain committed to refugee inclusion and refugee inclusion programs. However, a few companies, those that are headquartered in the US might be forced to scale down or potentially even close down the refugee inclusion programs. I am concerned that unfortunately the current increasing anti-migration rhetoric will have negative impact for refugees and refugee employment more broadly. I hope this will not be the case, but the risk remains very real.”
It’s a concern echoed by the Refugee Council of Australia. Senior Policy Advisor Louise Olliff explains.
“There is definitely a shift in attitudes and not in a great direction around migration broadly, and that has an impact on people. Migrant and refugee communities are reporting increasing abuse and some people feeling fearful to go outside. I think that's something that we really need to be looking at and addressing.”
Conflict and violence have forced almost 83-million people from their homes worldwide, according to the 2026 Global Report on Internal Displacement. The Refugee Council’s Louise Olliff again:
“We are seeing global displacement growing. More and more people are forced to flee their homes. So, this is the time that Australia can and should be stepping up. And actually, our humanitarian program is just a small component of our overall migration, but it makes a huge difference.”
IKEA Australia is part of the global home furnishing group and started a Refugee Workforce Inclusion pilot in 2020. That eight-week program is now permanent and has so far trained 280 people. Among them, 25-year-old Iryna Yarmoliuk ((EYE-ree-nah Yar-MAH-Look)).
“I speak four languages, Ukrainian, Polish, English and Russian. So it's helping me to communicate with a customer at my work. Through this job in IKEA, I could able to live in studio and pay rent by my own.”
Harriet Pope, who oversees the program, says building career pathways is key to its success.
“Iryna is just a fantastic example, Iryna joined us almost three years ago to the day in a sales coworker role. She quickly progressed into our customer area and is now a customer coordinator.”
Ms Pope says the refugee program has exceeded expectations.
“We're a large organisation with around 4,000 coworkers just in Australia. So, of course, we need talent that is motivated and inspired to grow with us and this is what this cohort represents.”
While Waseem Adam is staying on at the Opera House, Natalia Akulova has a new job elsewhere.
“In June, I'm starting a full-time role as a senior project coordinator, a huge step forward for me personally and for my career in general. Obviously feeling a bit nervous. It is financially big step forward for me as well. So, I do hope that it will help me to pay rent, to be able to put my kids into extra classes.”
And she has this message for corporate Australia.
“It's hard to get a first job in Australia. Important thing I would say is just to give this chance. It's not a charity because people are really smart, skilled, and they're happy to contribute.”
