Compared to European and Asian immigrants, unemployed migrants from Middle East and North Africa are three times higher during their first five years of settlement in Australia.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that Middle Eastern migrant’s 33 per cent jobless rate is six times higher than the national average.
Islamic migration experts have put the blame on employers who reject applications when found job seekers are named “Mohammad” and/or women wearing hijabs.
According to Bob Gregory, Australian National University economist, most Middle Eastern migrants were refugees, that the English language skills were crucial to employment. “Asian migrants are nearly all tertiary graduates and study here — this makes job finding easier,” he added.
The Department of Social Service, on a lighter note, stated that newly settled refugees often undergo a period of adjustment, which includes joining training sessions, especially English language tuition, before seeking employment.
Aside from refugees receive up to 510 hours of free English Language session, the Australian Federal Government spends $22 million on training and support for young job applicants under humanitarian visas.
To stop bosses’ discriminative assessment on job seekers on grounds of names or photos, Professor from the University of Newcastle Emeritus, Terry Lovat, called for “blind resumes”.