Integration of Humanitarian Migrants into the Host Country Labour Market: Evidence from Australia

The objective of this paper is to identify the factors that influence the labour market

integration of new humanitarian migrants in the host country. A number of employment

outcomes are examined including access to employment, access to stable employment, the

wage/earnings level and the education-occupation mismatch. By using a recently collected

panel survey data in Australia, the study shows that pre-migration education, work experience,

previous migration episodes, as well as English profciency, English training, study/job

training undertaken in Australia and social capital form important determinants of the labour

market integration of refugees in the host country. The paper highlights the differentiated

impacts of these resources on the refugees’ outcomes at six months, one year and two years

after arrival.