Migrants in Australia worst hit by slump in
jobs
I know there are many want to migrate to oz.
This is fine to me.I just want them to prepare some cash for a
period.
http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,27753,25738596-462,00.html
By George Megalogenis,The Australian,July 06, 2009
Laid off ... Migrant workers are the worst hit when it comes to
job losses. Graphic: The Australian.
AUSTRALIAN-BORN workers have been shielded from the worst of the
global recession, as employers have mainly restricted the
economy-wide job losses to migrant workers.
Although unemployment is rising across the board as
opportunities vanish, there is a clear divide emerging between the
treatment of local and overseas-born workers, The Australian reports.
Australian-born workers dropped 22,000 full-time jobs in the 12
months to May but picked up an extra 74,500 part-time jobs for a
net gain of 52,500 positions.
By contrast, migrant workers lost 37,100 full-time jobs, offset
by 21,600 extra part-time jobs for a net loss of 15,500.
The detailed research by The Australian suggests
employers have been laying off workers on a last-on, first-off
basis.
This puts the migrants who claimed the majority of the jobs
available at the top of the boom, when the economy faced acute
skills shortages, in the employment firing line now.
The surprise in the figures is that English-speaking migrants,
mainly from New Zealand, have fared the worst.
In the early 1990s recession, non-English speakers were the most
disadvantaged as blue-collar manufacturing jobs disappeared.
This time, New Zealand-born workers are the most likely to
be retrenched, with 11,000 full-time jobs and a further 9800
part-time jobs shed in the 12 months to May, for a net loss of
20,800.
The Indian-born are faring much better, with 19,500 more
full-time and 18,500 more part-time jobs.
This is a sign that shortages remain across significant pockets
of the economy as the Indian migrants tend to have higher skills on
average.
On the other hand, northeast-and southeast-Asian-born workers
have lost their jobs in roughly the same numbers as the New
Zealanders.
Overall, English-speaking migrants are down 11,600 jobs in net
terms, while non-English speaking migrants have lost 4000
jobs.
Australia has defied the global recession som far, with
unemployment at 5.7 per cent. More tellingly, the wider economy has
yet to move into the red zone where a larger number of jobs are
being lost than are created.
Read more in The Australian.
nn
