While earning a living is certainly one key component of the potential that employment holds, it isn’t all. A job offers many of us a framework for activity, meaning and dignity, an effective tool for engagement and a place to belong.

For most, their arrival in Australia is a life-saving moment of hope and a tangible chance to start again from zero. Moving from refugee dependency to independence, however, requires not only resettlement but also work. Finding work is the best way to break the common entanglement of income dependence over long periods and charity. It restores former dependent refugees to independence and self-reliance.

In many Christian traditions, the most pressing moral imperative is expressed in words attributed to Christ: ‘If I have not served you, I have served no-one’. And the sort of service that brings one closer to Christ is the kindleness to the vulnerable, the stranger, the outsider, the one who finds their life and our own imperilled by circumstances not of their making.

 The composition of Australia’s economy changes quickly and, as a consequence, so does the nature of the labour shortage faced by many industries. Healthcare, construction – across the country, employers are struggling to find the staff they need, with the right qualifications. The voices we hear in the debate about labour shortages tend not to be refugees’.

Given that some of the largest labour market sectors in Australia face skills shortages, making use of the professional skills of refugees makes sense as part of the solution. When they arrive in Australia, many refugees are already professional and business leaders. More than 140,000 refugees have arrived in Australia in the past few years and 18,500 are expected to arrive over the next four years.

The journey from refugee camp to Australian workplace is a story of tenacity and hope and flourishing. It is a story of exile and conflict, exploitation and arrival, but it is also a story of employment and enrichment. For refugees, the journey to employment in Australia usually starts in insecurity, disability and pain.

Upon arrival in Australia, refugees often find themselves in need of basic assistance: housing, schools and medical care. Since they are newly arrived, many use welfare assistance, supporting them through the early period of the settlement. Contrary to popular belief, refugees are most certainly not a long-term welfare-dependency problem for the Australian economy and society.

With globalisation and growing social awareness, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an essential part of business strategy for many companies. ‘CSR’ is shorthand for the commitment that businesses make – beyond profit – to driving positive social change in areas such as human rights, labour rules and the environment, and behaving ethically.

Employing refugees has powerful benefits far beyond the individual refugee as well: employment supports families, strengthens community, and adds to the local economy. At the systemic level, enhancing refugee employment builds resilience and inclusion in society. By employing refugees, we build stronger, more vibrant communities that are more equipped to meet upcoming challenges.

Working opportunities are more than just income. For refugees who have fled war, violence and persecution, the initial step towards formal employment means new beginnings – an opportunity to contribute, to build their lives, to become independent again. A nourishing future for refugees across the world means being able to financially support one’s family and make a contribution to society. It’s also about growing into the now instead of remaining caught in the turmoil of the past.

For those arriving in Australia, this can be an overwhelming endeavour. Refugees are coming to us, having lost their profession through conflict, persecution or disaster – the most recent being those fleeing Ukraine – and seeking to rebuild their lives through work. Their journey from crisis to career can be long and arduous. It involves complexities such as bridging language barriers, and understanding and navigating foreign job markets.

In this onerous business competition, more and more, the companies are asking what they could more do not only satisfy the latter kind of competitiveness, but also contribute to society and humankind. One of the most powerful of them is employing refugees.

Regaining meaningful employment is a major milestone, for refugees in Australia, who have usually entered the country and the labour market at the bottom rung. Yet the employment journey is full of adventure for refugees: luggage mountains, loads that are regularly unpacked and repacked but end up in luggage racks anyway.

 Beyond achieving business goals, workplaces are environments where people come together, gain experience, and enjoy community. A diverse workforce enriches work culture – hiring refugees is a powerful tool for building inclusive, sympathetic and empathetic work environments.

For Australia, employing refugees is an opportunity to plug workforce shortages in critical industries while doing good. Refugees are skilled and experienced and ready to contribute.[IB2] They have a wealth of knowledge and determination.[IB2]

At the same time, employing refugees takes specific considerations that businesses need to keep in mind to ensure they’re effective – and supportive.

Australia has for generations been a country shaped by immigrants and refugees, but those who refugees bring with them? It is usually refugees who come with experiences, skills and cultural insights that can enrich Australian society in hundreds of ways. ‘They don’t just hide under a rock and take whatever comes. They try to make a life for themselves’ Far from ‘dependents’ on the charity of the nation, refugees – particularly those who survive the trauma of state-sponsored violence and forced displacement – are active participants.

Matching jobs to skills is arguably the most critical pathway to successful refugee employment. Due to a lack of job matching or because their foreign qualifications are not always transferable, refugees often have a wealth of experience, skills and qualifications from their jobs back home that are not leveraged in their new contexts. Skill matching not only promotes refugees’ ability to work but also ensures that employers can benefit from their talents and skills.