Attracting and recruiting migrant and refugee professionals

People from migrant and refugee backgrounds have traditionally been underutilised in the labour market due to a range of barriers to employment. However, they can bring a range of skills and benefits to your business and offer a viable solution to skills shortages currently being faced across Queensland industries.

Queensland is currently experiencing one of its tightest labour markets in recent history, with continued economic growth and job demand predicted in the coming years. Many industries are experiencing nationwide labour and skills shortages. To meet this demand, employers will need to think differently and innovatively about workforce attraction and retention strategies.

Becoming an employer of choice

Employers of choice are already sensitive to contemporary people and culture (human resource) practices. Attracting and retaining people from migrant, non-English speaking, or refugee backgrounds is part of usual respectful workforce practice.

There are many practical actions you can take to encourage diverse hiring practices and provide better support for employees from a range of backgrounds.

Before and during recruitment

  • Check for conscious or unconscious bias in recruitment processes.
  • Offer professional development pathways when advertising roles.
  • Avoid tokenistic appointments of diverse candidates.
  • Use diverse hiring pathways, such as using non-traditional advertising, linking with networks, using techniques such as 'blind' applications, providing language support at interviews, and promoting flexible workplaces.

Supporting new employees

  • Ask about preferred communication, social and cultural interests and specific services that may be required.
  • Provide opportunities and advice for developing and showcasing skills in an Australian context.
  • Lead by example and create an inclusive workplace culture. You could provide training to all staff to improve their cultural awareness – for example, SBS's Cultural diversity course.
  • Provide professional development opportunities, industry links or informal training.

Direct recruitment strategies

To reach skilled migrants, refugees or international student graduates, consider recruitment strategies that increase visibility of opportunities within diverse communities and build your brand as an inclusive employer. This may include:

  • advertising for diverse candidates by stating opportunity availability to all visa types (i.e. Australian citizens, permanent residents, and people on temporary visas)
  • engaging directly with communities and associations, peak bodies, or specialised employment organisations connected with jobseekers from migrant and refugee communities
  • participating in job expos or leading corporate volunteering initiatives to engage with skilled workers from migrant and refugee backgrounds
  • engaging with universities that have industry placement advisers to support international students link with potential employers.

To get other ideas, you could also get in touch with industry bodies that support members to understand different recruitment pathways, or with other businesses about their experiences and successes in recruiting people from migrant or refugee backgrounds (e.g. through chambers of commerce).

Video: Attracting overseas-trained engineers

'Our research identified a lot of barriers to employment for migrant and overseas-qualified engineers. We've been working together on solutions for those challenges, so we can bring more of them into the workforce and get them back working in their profession.'

– Stacey Rawlings, Engineers Australia

Read more about attracting and retaining engineers from migrant backgrounds.

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Getting help with recruitment

If you don't have the time or capability to carry out targeted recruitment yourself, there are many specialist organisations who provide job-matching services to connect you with job-ready applicants. Find out more about support to hire an overseas-trained worker.

You can also complete training to help build your confidence and capability.

Training: Workforce Evolve program

This free government-funded program equips business owners with the tools to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.

It includes online modules and tailored business coaching to help transform your approach to attracting and retaining talent.

Access the Workforce Evolve program.

Regional areas

Recruitment and retention of workers in regional areas can present challenges where there may be a lack of networks and specialist organisations. For smaller towns, there will be interest from potential employees in information about schools, health services, social activities, and facilities available in the region.

Employers in regional and remote areas have identified the following can be helpful:

  • recruitment strategies that offer pre-arrival support to find suitable housing and indicate willingness to provide visa sponsorship or support for those on temporary visas
  • preparing new employees for regional life by asking questions about social, cultural, and environmental factors that may help them settle in the workplace and community
  • facilitating local connections to community early in the arrival of new employees – for example, industry and social networks
  • helping accompanying spouses and family members to connect with services and employment
  • establishing peer networks that build workplace connections both within the organisation and across industry in the region
  • linking with council, chambers of commerce, and regional development agencies for guidance on skills and visa pathways.

Video: The Mulberry Project

'Because Toowoomba is a humanitarian settlement area, we have a lot of migrants coming into the area that come from rural and farming backgrounds. I linked to the Mulberry Project so that we could get groups of people that wanted to work in agriculture linked to the employers and get them skilled and get them long-term jobs.'

– Karen, Projects and Business Development Manager, Growcom

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Also consider...

  • Last reviewed: 5 Dec 2024
  • Last updated: 5 Dec 2024