Gesanit Mahare moved to Tasmania from Sudan two years ago, right when the pandemic first took off, and it has been a struggle to find work until recently.
Key points:
- Migrants face unique barriers to work, and job-seeking has been even harder since the pandemic hit
- There are concerns changes to federal support for jobseekers will mean migrants won’t get targeted support
- A program run in northern Tasmania is proving the benefit of migrant-specific employment support with a more than 70 per cent success rate
“You want to work but you couldn’t because you don’t have any experience, so it’s hard,” she said.
Ms Mahare is in the latest cohort to graduate from an employment program run by the Migrant Resource Centre North in Launceston.
The Assist Support Strength Employment Train (ASSET) program supports migrants to become job ready, and is already seeing positive results.
At least 70 per cent of those who undertake the program have been able to secure work after completing the course.
Participants are taught skills including resume writing, how to conduct themselves in a job interview and what to expect from an Australian workplace.
They also attain certificates in kitchen work, cleaning and catering, and complete 40 hours of practical work as an entree before entering into the workforce.
Fellow participant Kamali Rai, who arrived from Nepal two years ago, jumped at the chance to take part in the program — and has already secured a job.
“I learned lots of things, it’s my first experience. I have never done that before in my life but [the program] was so amazing I gained a different knowledge,” she said.
Peter Gill, operations manager of Kols Cleaning, has taken on nine workers from Nepal through the partnership with the Migrant Resource Centre since 2019.
“It was perfect timing because we were struggling to find additional staff so we agreed to take on the three staff and since then they’ve now gone from casual to permanent part-time to some of our most valued employees,” he said.
“From a personal perspective, it’s been great to see people succeed and I think as an employer it’s nice to stand next to people.
Concerns about changes to employment services
While the pandemic caused high rates of unemployment across the country, Tasmania has appeared marginally brighter, with overall employment increasing by 0.4 per cent during the September quarter.
But for people from migrant backgrounds, COVID-19 has made getting a job particularly challenging — and there are concerns it will become more difficult when the federal government reforms how jobseekers access employment services from July 2022.
Ella Dixon, CEO of the Migrant Resource Centre North, worries the New Employment Services Model will not cater to the specific needs of migrants in Tasmania.
“I understand that there’s not going to be a multicultural-specific stream in Tasmania,” Ms Dixon said.
“Which will mean that jobseekers from a multicultural background, CALD [culturally and linguistically diverse] background, will be treated as a mainstream jobseeker.”
Ms Dixon said this would mean the cohort would not get the additional support that could ensure the success of securing and retaining a job.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment said the new model would deliver services to CALD jobseekers, but did not say whether they would be multicultural specific or targeted.
“The new employment services model will deliver a simple, efficient, trusted and connected service to all Australian jobseekers, including Tasmanian and CALD jobseekers,” the spokesperson said.
“Providers for the New Employment Services Model 2022 will be selected through a Request for Proposal process, which is currently in the market.”
Migrants facing cultural, language barriers to work
Ms Mahare said she “looked many times” for work before the program, but a lack of Australian work experience held her back.
She thinks trying to find work has been more difficult during the pandemic, and despite doing a kitchen hand certificate and applying for dozens of jobs, she still could not get a foot in the door.
“During COVID the work was a little bit not busy so I didn’t have an opportunity to work, so it was really difficult,” she said.
The employment impacts of COVID-19 have been harder felt by migrants, particularly those who have arrived more recently or come from a non-English speaking country, according to data from the National Skills Commission.
“The usual problems are around language, education, pre-arrival skills and recognition of qualifications from the country of origin,” Ms Dixon said.
“A lack of experience in an Australian workplace, connecting with employers and navigating systems where people have to apply online and submit CVs and answer selection criteria is often quite difficult.”
Ms Mahare said she cannot wait to get into work.
Loading form…
Credit: Source link
