How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study
There is a growing body of evidence indicating poorer working conditions for migrant workers, particularly refugees, compared with native-born workers. Our objectives were to compare exposure to workplace psychosocial stressors in working refugees with other migrant groups and Australian-born worker...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160100660 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86430 |
| _version_ | 1848764823696834560 |
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| author | Cain, Patricia Daly, Alison Reid, Alison |
| author_facet | Cain, Patricia Daly, Alison Reid, Alison |
| author_sort | Cain, Patricia |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | There is a growing body of evidence indicating poorer working conditions for migrant workers, particularly refugees, compared with native-born workers. Our objectives were to compare exposure to workplace psychosocial stressors in working refugees with other migrant groups and Australian-born workers of Caucasian ancestry and to describe the working experience of refugees. Cross-sectional surveys collected information on the workplace stressors of job complexity, control, security, bullying, and racial discrimination from six migrant groups (n = 1062) and Caucasian Australians (n = 1051); semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used with currently employed refugees (n = 30). Content analysis examined the qualitative data. Compared to all other groups, working refugees were more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace and to report exposure to more than three hazards. Content analysis indicated that working refugees are working below their capacity, in terms of hours and qualifications, and in jobs that were low status and lacked security. Despite challenging work conditions, participants reported adequate health and safety training and feeling a sense of pride in their work. These findings highlight the need for better support for refugees in negotiating the workplace once they find employment and the importance of employers providing an inclusive and equitable workplace. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:25:29Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-86430 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:25:29Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-864302022-01-14T02:53:19Z How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study Cain, Patricia Daly, Alison Reid, Alison Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Environmental Sciences & Ecology workplace exposure migrants refugees psychosocial hazards mixed-methods PSYCHOSOCIAL JOB QUALITY WORK-RELATED INJURIES OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH LABOR-MARKET MENTAL-HEALTH IMMIGRANTS INTEGRATION EMPLOYMENT MIGRATION NETWORKS There is a growing body of evidence indicating poorer working conditions for migrant workers, particularly refugees, compared with native-born workers. Our objectives were to compare exposure to workplace psychosocial stressors in working refugees with other migrant groups and Australian-born workers of Caucasian ancestry and to describe the working experience of refugees. Cross-sectional surveys collected information on the workplace stressors of job complexity, control, security, bullying, and racial discrimination from six migrant groups (n = 1062) and Caucasian Australians (n = 1051); semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used with currently employed refugees (n = 30). Content analysis examined the qualitative data. Compared to all other groups, working refugees were more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace and to report exposure to more than three hazards. Content analysis indicated that working refugees are working below their capacity, in terms of hours and qualifications, and in jobs that were low status and lacked security. Despite challenging work conditions, participants reported adequate health and safety training and feeling a sense of pride in their work. These findings highlight the need for better support for refugees in negotiating the workplace once they find employment and the importance of employers providing an inclusive and equitable workplace. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86430 10.3390/ijerph18084023 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160100660 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ MDPI fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Environmental Sciences & Ecology workplace exposure migrants refugees psychosocial hazards mixed-methods PSYCHOSOCIAL JOB QUALITY WORK-RELATED INJURIES OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH LABOR-MARKET MENTAL-HEALTH IMMIGRANTS INTEGRATION EMPLOYMENT MIGRATION NETWORKS Cain, Patricia Daly, Alison Reid, Alison How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study |
| title | How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study |
| title_full | How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study |
| title_short | How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study |
| title_sort | how refugees experience the australian workplace: a comparative mixed methods study |
| topic | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Environmental Sciences & Ecology workplace exposure migrants refugees psychosocial hazards mixed-methods PSYCHOSOCIAL JOB QUALITY WORK-RELATED INJURIES OCCUPATIONAL-HEALTH LABOR-MARKET MENTAL-HEALTH IMMIGRANTS INTEGRATION EMPLOYMENT MIGRATION NETWORKS |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160100660 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86430 |