Employing refugees is one way organisations can participate in building more inclusive and cohesive societies. Research highlights both the capabilities refugees bring and the structural barriers they often face in accessing employment.
Professor Betina Szkudlarek has developed evidence-based resources to support organisations in designing fair, effective, and sustainable approaches to refugee inclusion in the workforce.
Case studies have shown that hiring refugees offers many benefits for the organisations, refugees and their families, and the receiving country.
Refugees struggle with barriers to employment and data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies shows only a quarter of refugees who arrive in Australia find employment within two years of arriving in the country.
The systemic challenges faced by refugees in finding employment have been dubbed the "canvas ceiling" by researchers Professor Betina Szkudlarek from the University of Sydney and Dr Eun Su (Jeannie) Lee from the University of Melbourne.
Barriers to refugee employment include discrimination, limited access to professional networks and local labour market knowledge, and challenges related to the recognition of overseas qualifications and skills.
"Once those barriers are lowered, or better yet, removed, the benefits for employees and business flow," Professor Betina Szkudlarek says.
URL
embed-e0a2229359
Overcoming the canvas ceiling: promoting refugee employment
URL
embed-50418fcc9f
Research Highlights with Betina Szkudlarek
Developed in collaboration with a group of international scholars - Betina Szkudlarek (University of Sydney), Eun Su Lee (University of Melbourne), Laurence Romani (Stockholm School of Economics), and Yijia Du (University of Sydney) - our new global report captures eight years of learnings from one of the world’s most ambitious refugee inclusion initiatives.
Drawing on evidence and experiences across 14 countries, the report explores how organisations can move beyond symbolic commitments towards practical, scalable, and locally embedded approaches to refugee workforce inclusion.
The report highlights the importance of leadership, organisational culture, cross-sector partnerships, and locally adapted support systems in creating meaningful employment pathways for refugees, while also demonstrating how inclusion initiatives can strengthen organisational capability, social cohesion, and long-term business sustainability.
Importantly, the report provides practical insights into a wide range of inclusion practices that other organisations can learn from, adapt, and implement within their own local contexts - from recruitment and onboarding approaches to innovative cross-sector collaboration, and workplace capability building.
The project builds on our long-standing collaboration with business organisations and community partners to translate rigorous research into practical impact for employers, policymakers, and communities.
Employers who want to hire refugees often do not know where to start.
The Employers Guide to Refugee Employment, written by Professor Szkudlarek and Dr Lee in collaboration with the Crescent Foundation, contains practical tips for employers looking to successfully hire and integrate refugees into their organisations.
To find practical resources on how employers can improve refugee workforce integration, please visit the following websites:
A national award-winning social enterprise, Community Corporate specialises in working with refugee and migrant communities. Their employer-led model includes key services such as workforce planning and recruitment, cultural confidence training, recruitment process audits, pre-employment programs, non-accredited training, job coaching, direct inclusive recruitment, and more.
For recommendations for employers who are new to hiring refugees, download the How to Bridge the Gap Between Intention and Action report (pdf, 1MB).
For recommendations on how public policy could support employers to successfully employ refugees:
For teaching material on the Inclusive Employment video series, download the Inclusive Employment Educational Supplement (pdf, 132.3KB).
Lee ES, Szkudlarek B, Nguyen DC, and Nardon L 2020 'Unveiling canvas ceiling: A multidisciplinary literature review and research agenda of refugee employment and workforce integration', International Journal of Management Reviews, 22(2), 193-216
Lee ES, Szkudlarek B, Nguyen DC and Nardon L 2018 'Elephant in the room: IHRM and refugee workforce integration', Australia and New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA) Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 2nd February 2018
Nardon L, Zhang H, Szkudlarek B, and Gulanowski D 2020 'Identity work in refugee workforce integration: The role of newcomer support organizations.' Human Relations. In-press
Nardon L, Zhang H, Szkudlarek B and Gulanowski D 2018 Forthcoming 'Supporting refugee workforce integration: the paradox of managing expectations and supporting professional identities', European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, 22nd June 2018
Nardon L, Zhang H, Szkudlarek B and Gulanowski D 2018 'Employment support and refugee workforce integration', 11th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), Ottawa, Canada, 25th May 2018
Roy PA, Szkudlarek B, and Caprar DV 2020 'Refugees and Cross-Cultural Management Studies'. In B Szkdularek, L Romani, DV Caprar and J Osland (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of contemporary cross-cultural management (Ch. 30). Sage Publications.
Szkudlarek B 2019 'Engaging business in refugee employment: the employer's perspective.' Sydney, Australia: The University of Sydney Business School
Szkudlarek B, Nardon L, Osland J, Adler N and Lee ES 2019 'When context matters: What happens to international theory when researchers study refugees.' Academy of Management Perspectives. In-press.
This video series showcases the issues refugees face when seeking employment and how employers can overcome biases in their recruitment processes.
Learn about strategies for prioritising employee inclusion and well-being in organisations from researchers Professor Szkudlarek and Dr Lee as well as representatives from Amnesty International, IKEA and KPMG.
URL
embed-222b420ee2
Employment is Life
URL
embed-9895b0f8e1
Oasheen's Story
URL
embed-6849971907
Ghalia's Story
URL
embed-c7ef27e6a0
Zaki's Story
URL
embed-825be81a1e
No one ticks all the boxes
URL
embed-cd76513baf
Barriers Must Be Broken
URL
embed-bd58ec7374
Criteria and Biases
URL
embed-673d1e6125
What's in a name?
This research aligns with Sustainability Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economics Growth; Sustainability Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequality; and Sustainability Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals; and reflects the Business School's commitment to the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education.
