Each year, humanitarian migrants are granted visas to start a new life in Australia. These individuals represent a growing proportion of the talent pool in Australia’s labour market.
Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that just 6% of working-age humanitarian migrants were in paid employment within their first six months in Australia, increasing to 23% after two-and-a-half years.^
^Smart, D, De Maio, J., Rioseco, P., & Edwards, B. (2017). English skills, engagement in education, and entrance into employment of recently arrived humanitarian migrants (Building a New Life in Australia Research Summary). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Recognising this challenge, Professor Betina Szkudlarek in partnership with IKEA and Community Corporate, led a project that is reshaping how Australia addresses refugee under- and unemployment while also responding to the country’s critical skills shortages.
Driven by a global commitment to refugee inclusion, IKEA Australia committed to shifting misconceptions about refugees and creating concrete opportunities to support their integration into the Australian workforce.
The University of Sydney research team became an integral partner in the project, initially providing real-time advice to refine and strengthen the program, and subsequently supporting its expansion as well as developing resources to enable other organisations to join the movement.
The program's success has paved the way for deeper working relationships to develop more quickly during participants' first weeks of employment — a period when they are most vulnerable. The research findings enabled IKEA to customise training for buddies and managers, delivering more nuanced guidance around inclusive onboarding for refugee candidates.
The impact speaks for itself: 290 participants from 23 cultural backgrounds, speaking 43 different languages, have joined and are thriving in IKEA's business through this program.
290 Participants
23 Cultural backgrounds represented
43 Languages spoken
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