The Long-Term Benefits of Refugee Employment for Australian Society
This helps refugees become financially independent and to remain self-reliant. But refugees’ employment has impact far beyond an individual – over time, it benefits the Australian economy and improves our society and social cohesion, as refugees’ skills and vision, together with their tenacity, become part of these communities. If Australia lets refugees work, it will become a more inclusive, prosperous and resilient country.
Economic Contributions of Refugee Employment
Refugees who are working also significantly contribute to the Australian economy in several ways: their wages go into the tax base and stimulate local economies, especially small businesses; their wages help them pay the rent and buy goods and services, stimulating a broader range of economic activity; and their independent participation in the workforce reduces overall dependence on government-funded welfare, thereby freeing resources for a range of critically important social expenditures. Finally, many perform a critical economic role in the sectors of the economy most in need of workers – such as in health care, construction and agriculture – which are subject to severe skills shortages, and are crucial to Australia’s economic stability and prosperity.
Refugees are entrepreneurs too – they create business, jobs and create economic growth. They enliven the vibrancy and variety of the Australian marketplace with new products, services or ways of seeing.
One of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard is of Zahra, an Iraqi refugee who came to Australia with literally nothing: no possessions, just the clothes she was wearing. She started a café in Melbourne with the seed funding and support of a refugee employment organisation based locally. The café now employs more than 15 people, many of whom are refugees too, and has become a central hub of the community. Zahra’s story shows that the longer-term economic value of refugee employment extends beyond their role as people who are employed. They are also ‘entrepreneurs’ who are establishing new businesses and therefore creating further employment.
Strengthening Social Cohesion and Inclusivity
Besides, refugee employment can also facilitate social inclusion by fostering the integration of refugees into their new communities and forging links between members of different cultural groups. When they’re able to work, in turn, refugees contribute to the public sphere as neighbours, consumers and colleagues, establishing relationships that can help people get to know one another and appreciate each other better, fostering reciprocal empathy and respect, and breaking down boundaries in everyday life in mutually beneficial ways. This, in turn, can lead to more inclusive and egalitarian societies.
Besides being sites that connect people coming from diverse linguistic and cultural backdrops, it turns out that there’s more and more evidence that diversity at the working environment boosts creativity, problem-solving and innovation. The simple exchange of visions and ideas that comes about from a plurality of people coming from diverse backgrounds translates into the capability to adapt to obstacles and the ability to seek and grasp novel opportunities. A workplace where diverse visions and needs are valued enriches the cultural environment at a broader level and makes it more natural for people to feel welcome and part of a team.
Furthermore, refugees themselves dismantle stereotypes and alter misconceptions of refugees when they show, through their success as workers in the labour force, that they have the same fortitude, drive and ability as anyone else. By succeeding at their jobs and contributing to their communities, they help people reframe their thinking about refugees and reduce their prejudices.
Promoting Long-Term Stability and Resilience
Hiring refugees might be helpful in filling some of these gaps in the short run, but the real promise for the creation of long-term resilience lies in the assets that refugees acquire in the form of work experience, professional networks, skills and knowledge – the more embedded they are in Australian life, the more resilience they bring to that life in the long term. This could coalesce in the form of a lateral shift of refugees up the occupational ladder, and in opportunities for more schooling and training, and a broader spectrum of vocational development.
Not only that, but refugee work leads to better communities with increased resistance and resilience to later economic crises, changing demographics and shifts in social order. As refugees generate opportunities for work and advancement in their host communities, they apply their talents, ingenuity and initiative towards the strengthening of those same communities.
Conclusion
Benefits accruing from refugee employment also pay forward to the Australian community an investment that will not be recouped in the lifetime of the refugee. It will make a contribution to Australia for many generations. Granting work to refugees allows the benefits of their talent to flow into the Australian economy, bolster economic growth and strengthen social cohesion.
By increasing refugee employment, sustainable development includes, diversifies and even makes everyone more resilient. With Australia’s refugee intake continuing at a steady level, scholars have already documented how refugees’ presence and contribution has continued and become more entrenched over decades, enriching Australia’s economy and businesses and services, and the social fabric of its cities, towns and villages. Tapping into this, governments can now invest in refugee employment to underwrite Australia’s future prosperity, inclusion and social cohesion.
