From Trauma to Triumph: Stories of Refugee Success in Australian Workplaces

The journey to the triumph of hopeful employment for many refugees is through adversity. Often having survived tremendous trauma, persecution and violence in their homeland, refugees come to Australia with little more than their families and their hopes. Despite these beginnings, after a long period of struggle, most who have been traumatised go on to lead highly fulfilled and successful lives. The journeys of hope and possibility for many are literally a triumph against great odds and they are yet another example of the relevance of hopeful employment.

The Role of Employment in Refugee Success

In particular, it can ensure employment, an essential element of personal reintegration that includes not just financial security, but also psychosocial and social stability. Work can give refugees ‘a purpose and dignity in life, a sense of control over their own lives, the ability to help or support their families and other dependants, and the opportunity to contribute to society.’ Indeed, it can promote social inclusion.

Although refugees might have good qualifications and experience, language problems and other barriers, including unfamiliar job markets and credential recognition, can prevent their full use of their skills. At the same time, a well-supported refugee can find a job immediately.

For example, Amina, an Iraqi refugee, fled the civil war in her homeland and came to Australia, where she discovered that her previous qualification as a pharmacist was not recognised. An organisation that helps refugees to find employment in their new country assisted her to participate in a skills recognition programme, enabling her to gain her Australian qualifications to practise her profession. Today, she works as a pharmacist in a busy service in Sydney for her local community.

Inspiring Stories of Resilience and Success

The life Amina had to create for herself is one of many that reveal the story of refugees building new lives, even through the greatest of hardships. Like Palestine, it is also the story of Hassan. Born a civil engineer in Afghanistan, and after being persecuted for subversive politics and resettled in Australia with a few dollars and the clothes on his back.

An MIEP, he was assessed through a refugee employment programme, and Australian authorities gave him qualification equivalency for a role. Hassan landed a job with a regional engineering firm and, over the years, his employers grew to appreciate his experience and expertise. Hassan is now the senior engineer for the firm overseeing large infrastructure projects, and coaches young engineers and managers. Hassan’s journey, from trauma of exile to achievement in his new country, is a testament to the inner fortitude and determination refugees bring to bear in their new lives.

The Impact of Refugees on Australian Workplaces

We sense the genuine narratives of the refugee experience, the Aminas and Hassans, and we learn that a positive act – the existence of refugees at work – can have extraordinary exponentially positive outcomes for Australian businesses. Refugees offer an insight, an edge, a taken-for-granted grittiness that can set up a healthy company culture and foster innovation. Their determination, their success against harsh odds, and their willingness to contribute to the profit of their employer, all make for a dynamic employee.

Moreover, refugees as a group are commonly a more social and supportive community, and are therefore more likely to feel indebted and to want to thank their new society for providing them with safe passages and new opportunities. Many refugee workers feel that they are providing important services to the society that has welcomed them and they gladly contribute to their new communities by working or volunteering for the benefit of society, making the workplace more team-oriented.

Conclusion

The journey from trauma to triumph is never an easy one, but the uplifting working-life stories of Australia’s refugees speak of remarkable hope and determination. When refugees are enabled, they can create the space necessary to lead a life of meaningful work and to exorcise the demons of the past. As workers and members of society, refugees contribute to enriching Australian society.

And so, overall, with more refugees gaining the chance to work, no doubt more of them will go on to paint rosy futures for themselves. Of course, in some countries, displacement of refugees and their families is not yet over. Still, to see businesses encouraged to create meaningful employment jobs for refugees shows that companies can help refugees reach their own talents and in turn help the country hosting them build a rosy future.