Refugees' labour market access in Australia: a case study of Eritrea African immigrants

This paper investigates the patterns of labour market access and the employment outcomes of African refugees in Australia. It focuses on recently-arrived migrants and refugees from Eritrea who came to Australia predominantly on humanitarian grounds. The paper explores the correlation between academic qualifications and previous employment experiences on the one hand and employment outcomes in Australia on the other. In doing so, a number of related factors including language skills, links to community organizations and level and nature of job assistance services are analysed as variables that potentially impact upon access to and ultimately integration into the labour market.