Starting from Scratch: Skilled Dual-career Migrant Couples and their Search for Employment in Southeast Queensland

Abstract

Immigration policy in Australia consists of skilled, humanitarian and family reunion based intakes. In recent years the main policy focus has been on skilled migrants, who are critical to filling gaps in the labour market. However, there is little research on what happens to migrants and their families after arrival. This article focuses on the job seeking experiences of skilled migrant couples, including those who have children. It reports on exploratory research with 12 skilled migrants from Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) countries. The key findings show that barriers such as language and lack of local work experience persist, and that skilled dual-career migrant couples have to make a range of difficult choices as they seek employment. Therefore the additive effect of the various barriers and the complexities of negotiating them as a couple further impede migrants' successful engagement with the labour market.