Amin Niazai was a leading forest ecology and climate change scientist from Afghanistanbut in Australiahe isworking as an intern.(Supplied)
Few people have a CV as impressive as Amin Niazai.
The 35-year-oldAfghan-born Melburnian is a forest ecology and climate change scientistwith a master's degreeand aPhD from Kyoto University in Japan.
Heledclimate change adaptation andnatural resource management in Afghanistan and headed projects forinternational groups including the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation, the US Department of Agriculture and AusAid.
He is fluent infour languages.
But in Australia, Dr Niazai has struggled to find work in his field.
New census data released this monthrevealed thaton average, migrantslike Dr Niazaihave a higher level of education than people born in Australia,but many are employed well below their education levels or struggle to find work at all.
The census results released by the Australian Bureauof Statistics showed more Australians than ever were continuing their studies with more than11 millionholding vocational or tertiary qualifications. That'sa 20 per cent increase since 2016.
While 56 per cent of people born in Australia hadpost-school qualifications,this number jumpedto 63 per cent forthoseborn overseasand82 per centfor Australians born in Indiaand Bangladesh.
Educated migrants face a 'frustrating' search for work
In Afghanistan, Dr Niazai'sdream was to stop the degradation and desertification of Afghan forests and transform landscapes ravaged by years of drought to replenishfood resources and livelihoods of local communities.
But that dream was destroyed inOctober last yearwhen the Taliban takeoverforced him to fleeto Australia.
Mr Niazai's dream was totransform Afghan landscapes ravaged by years of drought to replenishfood resources and livelihoods.(Supplied: Muzafar Ali)
His family has settled well, the children have started school and they have made a lot of friends in the local community.
But after seven months of searching for work, Dr Niazai is about to starta three-monthinternship with theDepartment of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Dr Niazai said he was excited by this opportunity, but it was a big step down in his career.
It's kind of frustrating for a person like me when you were working in top management positions with many years of important research andwork that has been published in one of the top-quality journals in the world, Dr Niazai said.
But still,I thinkit's a great opportunity. It can help me get some rewarding experience,buildnetworking and professional connections and learnabout workplace customs, workplace culture.
I think this opportunity will help me to reignite my professional career.
Barriers skilled migrants face
Eddy Ng, a professor of equity and inclusion at Queen's University in Canada, and professor of organisational behaviour at James Cook University, led a study that interviewed skilled migrants on their experience in Australia.
He identified some key barriers that made finding a job difficult.
First, there was ageneral distrust of overseas qualifications.
Despitevettingand the government saying this qualification is equivalent, Professor Ng said employerswere more likely to consider candidates who had studied at universities they were familiar with.
Secondly, word of mouth is important, sowithout a network of social capital, it was hard to find opportunities, Professor Ngsaid.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also shifted employment opportunities, creating agreater need within service and hospitality industries rather than skilled jobs.
However, Australia'sskilled worker visa programmeans that many migrants are searching for higher levels of employment, creating amismatch in the labour market, Professor Ngsaid.
Most employees will also favour applicants that have similar interests to their own, often without even knowing it.
When you volunteer informationthat is not required [such as hobbies and interests]it may actually put youout of the contestby virtue of perceived lack of fit,even though you may have the qualifications, Professor Ngtold the ABC.
He saidelectronic screening systems that only extractinformation pertinent to the jobcan givemigrants a much better opportunity to demonstrate their skills.
Training and educationaboutthe job search process andcultural nuances —such ashandshakes or eye contactthat can give vastly different impressions from one culture to another — are also crucial.
Knowing how toengage in a job search process, knowing what to put on your resume, even how we search for jobs, all those things matter,Professor Ng said.
He said migrants that arrive at a younger age have advantages in this area. They have time to besocialised to Australian ways and often gain at least one local qualification.
Younger migrantsoften gain at least one Australian qualification.(Reuters: Jason Reed)
Volunteer work can helpbridge the gap
Professor Ng saidopportunities to gain that Australian experience, such as volunteering or joining local community groups, can make a big difference.
While looking for work, Dr Niazai did just that.
Volunteering with a group called Wyntreeat Wyndham, he helped create a tiny forest — densely-packed native bushland the size of a tennis court.
Builtin urban areas, tiny forests workas carbon sinks, helping to combat climate change and increase greenery.
Despiterestartinghis career well below his skill level, Dr Niazai wasvery positive about his future in Australiaand hopes he can helptointegratescience into our projects,policies and strategies.
But he also dreams of one day being able to help people struggling with drought and poverty in Afghanistan.
I still dream that one day we will go back when we have peace and stability and we will rebuild the country,he said.
While Mr Niazai said theresettlement process in Australia wasgood, there was a lack of specialised employment transition assistance.
There are agencies here that can mentor you but not for people that area little bit higher level, he said.
He said there are programs that help with CV preparation and interviews but there was nothing to help migrants connect with potential employers.
Managing expectations
Settlement support agency AMES Australia do run such a program,but, with limited funding, numbers of participants are also limited.
The Skilled Professional Migrant Program is ashort course, which includes mentoring, coaching,career counselling and networking, explainedAMESchief executiveCatherine Scarth.
Ms Scarth said theAMES Australia programs have been successful for many migrants.(ABC News: Erwin Renaldi)
The four-week course pairs people with a mentor from their chosen profession.
They also partner with corporate organisations that conduct role-playing forinterviews, look over CVs and help jobseekersunderstand what Australian employees are looking for.
It gets fantastic results, something like 80 per cent of people find work after the program, Ms Scarf said, adding that ideally such courses should be madeavailableto all arriving skilled migrants through government programs.
But Ms Scarthsaid it was also important to manage expectations.
When people first arrivethey probably have a kind ofover-optimistic viewabout getting a job at the same level that they left home at very quickly, she said.
So it's also just helping people to understand and think about what pathways there might be to get into those professions again, not necessarily thinking that the only way is to start at where they left off.
For refugees, who often flee their homes overnight with few if any possessions, thereare other layers of complexity, Ms Scarthsaid, includingbarriers around qualification recognition andlanguage levels.
This is where you getthe old adage of the doctor or the engineer driving the taxi, and we see that all the time, she said.
In such cases, it can be helpful to find jobs in related fields, such asmedical professionalsfinding jobs in aged care.
At least in that case, they can see a pathway to getting back into the medical profession, rather than working in a factory or driving a taxi or whatever it might be.
Ms Scarth said it was also important for employers to recognise the benefits diversity can bring to their businesses.
If you want to build up your export market, or you'rewanting to start to do business with other countries, then clearlyyou're going to not only have an incredibly skilled and dedicated resilient worker, but you're potentially getting a whole series of additional skills around language and cultural understanding, she said.
If we employ people who all think the same, then we're only going to look at the problem in the same way.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-24/higher-education-with-worse-job-outcomes-is-the-reality-for-many/101542354
