Mr Tang likes his employer and the work. But he wants to be doing much more.
If I say I'm satisfied with my present job, I'm lying, because, you know, I'm an engineer, he said.
Mr Tang came to Australia in 2019 with a wealth of engineering experience in China. For more than decade he managed more than 100 workers on building projects and helped design air conditioning and heating systems for hotels and apartment buildings.
None of that meant anything when he applied for engineering jobs here.
Yanging Tang smiles for the camera with his hands on his hips, wearing a bright red hard hat in front of low building.
Yaning Tang managed big projects and more than 100 employees in China.(Supplied: Yaning Tang)
During the process of application in Australia, I found nobody cared about that. I don't know why, he said.
That's really frustrating to me … I really lost confidence. That's a very tough experience for me.
More than 100 email applications brought only one offer: a job delivering air conditioning units to job sites.
Eventually he moved to his current position as an AC installer. It's far removed from his role managing big engineering projects in China.
I want to feel appreciated and valued in Australia, he said.
Engineers 'working as Uber drivers'
Mr Tang is part of what Engineers Australia says is a largely untapped asset in Australia: qualified migrant engineers who cannot get jobs in their field.
A report from the peak body found 47 per cent of migrant engineers looking for work are unemployed.
More than a third who do find jobs in engineering are underemployed, working at jobs below their experience and skill level.
They're working as Uber drivers, they're working in the limited hospitality areas that are available, or they're unemployed, Engineers Australia chief executive Bronwyn Evans said.
Bronwyn Evans wearing a grey suit and smiling in a business-like portrait.
Bronwyn Evans says qualified engineers are working as Uber drivers despite a huge increase in vacancies.(Supplied: Engineers Australia)
All of this is happening while demand for engineers soars.
Job vacancies have increased 97 per cent in the past 12 months as companies tool up for more than $200 billion in government-backed infrastructure projects launching over the next four years.
You've sort of got this perfect confluence of big projects coming online, almost double the demand for engineers, Dr Evans said.
And yet we've got this pool of engineers who are ready to work and can't find work.
The Engineers Australia report found the biggest barrier to employment was a phrase many migrant professionals are all too familiar with: local experience.
When someone's looking for their ideal engineer, they want them ready with local experience. They want them ready with local networks. They want them ready with local knowledge. Now that's hard when you're coming to Australia for the first time, Dr Evans said.
Andrea Gonzalez came to Australia with an engineering degree in 2006 and left after failing to land a job. She worked in engineering for three years in her native Colombia and then returned.
What I found is still they were asking for local experience. But how can I get local experience [if they] don't give me the opportunity? So I decided to do a master's, she said.
Andrea Gonzalez wearing casual business clothing, and leaning forward looking at the camera with a serious expression.
Andrea Gonzalez struggled for years to find work as an engineer.(ABC News: Niall Lenihan)
At first her master's engineering degree from the University of New South Wales didn't help.
I again applied for many jobs and it was very, very difficult. I always was rejected, she said.
It was very stressful. I think your self-confidence can get very low, because … I'm qualified, I study, I found the passion, I want to work, but they don't give me the opportunity.
Ms Gonzalez persisted, and eventually landed an internship that led to a job offer. After completing a PhD she now has a senior role as an engineering consultant.
An 'unconscious bias' against migrants
Nearly 60 per cent of the 106,000 members of Engineers Australia were born overseas. And the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) believes the barriers they face are familiar for all migrants in the job market.
I think COVID has shown us how important migrants are to Australia's economy, especially skilled migrants, FECCA chief executive Mohammad Al-Khafaji said.
Mohammad Al-Khafaji wearing a nice suit and pink tie, smiling slightly in a businesslike headshot.
Mohammad Al-Khafaji says unconscious bias against migrants plays a huge role when it comes to hiring.(Supplied: FECCA)
I think that the problem that Australia has is, unfortunately, unconscious bias to do with migrants.
Around people's accents … where they come from. And just generally, we're not aware that some of those biases have a role to play when it comes to hiring.
Bronwyn Evans believes Engineers Australia can help migrant applicants overcome some of those biases with its Pathways to Employment program.
I think some of those societal issues do play out, she said.
What we've got to do is give people an understanding of how do you engage in the Australian job market? Where do you go to look for roles?
Sometimes migrants might not be looking in the right place. The ABC spoke to one engineering firm that's been searching to fill two positions for months. It's posted vacancies online and received no responses.
Yaning Tang wearing a high-vis shirt in a workshop, cutting sheets of steel and looking toward the camera.
Yaning Tang is determined to keep trying to find work as an engineer.(ABC News: Niall Lenihan)
As for Yaning Tang, after hundreds of applications in the last two years, he plans to keep going. It's worth fighting to return to engineering.
I feel very proud of what I have done before, he said.
I want to contribute to the society, to the industry, to the community. And I think if I got a suitable chance, I can do that.
