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Half of Australian businesses say they want to hire refugees. Here's why they don't
A study of Australian employers has found half are keen to hire refugees and asylum seekers, but most do not act.
Published 28 April 2023 8:00pm
Updated 1 May 2023 3:08pm
By Sandra Fulloon
Source: SBS News
Image: Jahidullah Tokhi in Sydney. (SBS / Sandra Fulloon)
Jahidullah Tokhi is an IT expert working as a business analyst with the Woolworths Group.
He's also a refugee from Afghanistan who arrived in 2021.
The 32-year-old started his role this month following a frustrating job search lasting more than 18 months and which included more than 50 rejections.
“It was a bit disappointing for me because I tried hard and did a lot of work on my resume. I applied to many jobs and had a few interviews which went well, but I never heard back,” he said.
To support his family and pay almost $500 weekly rent for an apartment in Sydney’s northwest, Mr Tokhi took casual shifts at a grocery store.
“That was not a proper job, it was just training and work experience for me,” he said.
It’s an all-too-common situation for thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia.
Jahidullah Tokhi has struggled to find work in IT in Australia despite his qualifications. Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
A three-year study of 35 Australian employers being released on Sunday found businesses are keen to hire refugees and asylum seekers, but most do not act.
The study, titled Bridging the Gap between Intention and Action, was conducted by the University of Sydney Business School and community support organisation Crescent Foundation.
Of 35 employers who initially participated in the study and were open to hiring refugees, 17 were keen to access refugees’ experience and fresh perspectives and 16 wanted to "do the right thing".
But despite available incentives and support from third parties, the report revealed even well-intentioned employers got stuck when it came to actually hiring refugees.
Only five later took the step to hire someone from a refugee background.
I applied to many jobs and had a few interviews which went well, but I never heard back.- Jahidullah Tokhi, IT expert
The employers ranged from small to large businesses across a range of industries including manufacturing, health care and banking. Two had previous experience hiring refugees.
“Australian employers are really missing out on a tremendous pool of talent during a national skills shortage,” said report co-author Professor Betina Szkudlarek.
Professor Szkudlarek specialises in cross-cultural management and management of diversity at the University of Sydney Business School and is also a consultant with the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations.
“Refugees bring a whole set of skills, experience and education to the workforce and fresh ways of thinking about problems that Australian employers may not consider,” she said.
“They also bring tremendous resilience, having gone through things most of us could not imagine. Employment is a key aspect in rebuilding their lives, so they are determined to make it work.”
Professor Szkudlarek described the study findings as "disappointing" and said there were many reasons employers struggle to hire refugees.
“They may not know where to find a person from a refugee background and many wrongly assume they need to bring them from overseas.”
“Plus, employers might not understand their credentials, qualifications and education, and they may also be fearful. What does it mean to hire a refugee? Will we struggle internally?”
According to the report, fewer than 19 employers had a workplace strategy for hiring disadvantaged groups and some feared that hiring refugees would add costs and require additional resources.
Report co-author Jeannie Eun Su Lee is a lecturer at the University of Newcastle Business School who specialises in international human resource management and focuses on migrants’ integration journeys.
“Many employers have limited time to go through a whole list of government subsidies and to contact support organisations to learn about the process,” she said.
One employer that took part in the study explained it further:
"My team is quite under-resourced, and so, trying to do anything other than just the business as usual is sometimes quite stressful, quite hard, because we just don’t have the resources to support it,” they said.
Jahidullah Tokhi fled Kabul in 2021 after Taliban forces took control. Source: Supplied / Jahidullah Tokhi.
“Everything was new for me here. I did not have local experience so it was hard to find a job in my field, which is IT,” he said.
The father of two holds a degree in computer science from Kabul University and a diploma in business administration. He has more than five years of work experience, including with the Australian Government.
When Taliban forces seized control of the country in August 2021, Mr Tokhi fled Afghanistan with his family. The stress of that time remains vivid.
“We went to the gates three times, and there were very long queues at the airport. There were guns firing and Taliban fighters were everywhere,” he said.
“They were not letting people inside and it was a very critical situation. Finally, we got through the gate and were evacuated to Dubai and then Australia.”
Mr Tokhi's job search was finally successful thanks to social enterprise Community Corporate, which partners with large employers such as the Woolworths Group to create career pathways for refugees.
Some with in-demand technology skills, like Mr Tokhi, have found new roles through the partnership's Refugee Digital and Technology Cadetship Program.
Carmen Garcia, founder and CEO of Community Corporate. Credit: Supplied Community Corporate
"As diversity recruitment specialists, we help employers all across Australia unleash this hidden talent pool."
Ms Garcia said Community Corporate has so far helped place almost 1,200 refugees into jobs.
“Our model is quite unique because we start with the employer and get a skills profile, then we find people with the right attitude and determination and skills, and we do the matchmaking role between the refugee and the employer.
“We also work on soft skills, to give the refugee or asylum seeker the confidence to re-ignite their passion for their profession here in Australia.”
“Our commitment overall is for 30 refugees in this pilot program, and we are very excited to see the outcomes,” said Woolworths Group general manager of inclusion Catherine Hunter of the cadetship program.
“We really wanted to see how we could provide easy and equitable access for very talented and skilled people who are highly qualified.”
Refugees bring fresh ways of thinking about problems that Australian employers may not consider.- Betina Szkudlarek, Academic
Australia is offering 17,875 places in the Humanitarian Program for 2022–23. Refugee advocates are working to speed up the hiring process for new arrivals.
Professor Szkudlarek’s advice to employers is to start small and prepare to embrace differences.
“Make sure your workforce is actually ready to welcome people who are diverse, whatever that diversity looks like,” she said.
Also, employers should utilise service providers and support organisations set up to help them onboard refugees.
Jahidullah Tokhi with Woolworths Group's Catherine Hunter. Source: SBS News / Sandra Fulloon
“We know about the benefits that refugees can bring into the workforce. It's time for the government to design a set of incentives that will actually help employers realise their hiring aspirations,” she said.
Mr Tokhi said after his six-month cadetship he hopes to stay on at the Woolworths Group as an IT professional.
Professor Szkudlarek welcomed corporate initiatives that help refugees kick-start their careers in Australia.
“Many people with a refugee background might have lost absolutely everything in their lives, and for them, employment is not just a way to get financial independence, it's an opportunity to rebuild their whole life.
“So when employers give a chance to a person from a refugee background, they don't just give them a job, they actually quite often give them a new life.”
For more information on service providers across Australia and a digital database to connect refugee job seekers, visit the .
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