Where will the Next Meal Come From? The Bread and Butter Issues of Engagements of Culturally Diverse People

Bagdas B¹*

1. Multicultural Development Association, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

It is well known that many immigrants and refugees coming to Australia face the issue of employment as a major problem in settling into a new country.

The process of migration results in a loss of human capital through factors such as non-recognition of overseas qualifications, difference in skills base between country of origin and country of arrival and lack of proficiency in the language of the country of arrival. It has been found that the greater the difference between the country of origin and the country of arrival, the greater the human capital loss.

This paper argues that the impact of unemployment and under-employment are significant and affects every element of life and well being including physical, psychological and spiritual. This paper will explore the effects of unemployment on communities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This is based on our experience and knowledge gained through working with migrant and refugee jobseekers. The paper will examine some areas of impact such as economic status. We work in collaboration with all three levels of government, community organisations, service providers, private sectors and migrant and refugee communities to overcome the employment barriers of multicultural communities.

A person’s capacity to engage effectively with the social institutions around them are greatly determined by their financial capacity (work) and opportunity for skills development. It is the contention of this paper that ethnic communities are doubly disadvantaged in terms of engagement and if engagement is to be successful then more innovative and flexible systems need to be developed. The paper will draw upon examples of effective engagement of migrants and refugees within the labour market.

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