Covid-19 has exacerbated the exploitation of young migrant workers by leaving them without financial or familial support and heavily reliant on their employer to maintain an income.
The prevalence of insecure work among young migrants as well as the precarity of their visa arrangements including the 40 hour per fortnight cap for international students means speaking up is near impossible while the lack of available job opportunities – particularly in the ACT, where many jobs require citizenship – forces them into accepting illegal underpayments.
As a consequence of these dynamics, we have a two-tiered labour market where young migrant workers are treated as a lower-class of worker and routinely subjected to exploitation.
The Young Workers Centre spotlight report – ‘Young Migrant Workers in the ACT’ – focuses on a sample of the experiences of young migrant workers in the ACT that have been shared with us through our 2021 Young Workers Survey and in-person outreach.
Read the full report here: 2021 10 Young Migrant Workers Report.
This spotlight report follows the broader 2021 Report into Young Workers’
Experiences in ACT Workplace ‘A Broken System’. This report provides an up to date
account of the experiences of young migrant workers in the ACT according to our
own survey data and anecdotal evidence gathered through the Young Workers
Centre’s outreach programs.
The survey conducted by the Young Workers Centre sought to collect data on
young peoples’ experiences of work and the impact work has on other aspects of
their lives including finances, mental health and wellbeing, and studies. The survey
ran in the first half of 2021 and was promoted widely using our own email lists and
social media, paid advertisement and sharing from various other community
organisations.
Over 360 young workers in the ACT responded to the survey. The data collected
from this survey is supplemented by anecdotal evidence collected through the
Young Workers Centre’s outreach which in the past year has included a forum
supported by a grant from ACT Government, specifically for young migrant workers to share
their stories and seek support for issues they face at work.
Read the full report here: 2021 10 Young Migrant Workers Report.
