Australia – Foreign students find it extremely difficult to get professional work

International graduates find it extremely difficult to get professional work in Australia, despite having qualifications in areas of supposed skills shortages, a three-year study has found.

The accounting, nursing and ­engineering graduates in the study encountered multiple barriers to getting a job, including a tough jobs market and local firms unwilling to take on staff without permanent residency.

The Deakin University report, ­Australian International Graduates and the Transition to Employment, bluntly concludes international graduates without a permanent visa are unlikely to find work in their discipline area in Australia.

“According to our interviews with employers, academics, peak bodies and international graduates, without ­permanent residency (PR), international graduates are unlikely to secure employment in their field in Australia,” the report states.

The report also found racism remained a problem for students, with “many [participants] in this study ­experienced discrimination in some form during their time in Australia”.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Job market dire for foreign students.