Key success factors
“Assumed challenges and misconceptions around factors such as visa status, work rights ... were rarely a concern among employers who had employed refugees...Successful hiring and retention of refugees requires ... the support of influential staff members ... peers and supervisors.”
Leadership. Harness support and energy from leadership and champions within your organisation.
Resourcing. Allocate sufficient human and financial resources to successfully implement the change plan.
Plan. Figure out at the beginning the practical logistics of how your existing systems can be adapted, whose support is required, and how those changes can be achieved.
Iterate. Every step of the way you’ll learn. Be flexible enough to refine your approach and continuously improve.
Promote success. Start with a pilot and an exceptionally interested manager, to maximise the chances of success. Promote and celebrate success. Collect and share stories and data demonstrating the value to the business of having refugee employees included in your workforce.
“Apply the learning to the next cohort to the next cohort then to the next cohort.”
Learn more:
Dr Betina Szkudlarek, Engaging business in refugee employment: The employers’ perspective, Nov 2019 (66 pages)
The Refugee and Migrant Services Advisory Council, An employer’s guide to working with refugees: Unlocking new sectors of Australia’s workforce talent, Nov 2020 (22 pages)
Choose the best model for you
Work experience (Paid or unpaid)
This might suit you if:
you already run work experience programs
you are a small to medium business with limited capacity to commit resources to making more substantial changes to your recruitment practices
you want to give refugees a chance at gaining Australian work experience, to learn about local work culture and your industry, develop a network, and adjust to working life.
Who can help?
Find an organisation in your State that delivers the Commonwealth government’s Settlement Language Pathways to Employment and Training (SLPET) program (part of the Adult Migrant English Program, or AMEP) to refugees.
Internships, traineeships,
apprenticeships
This might suit you if:
you already run traineeships, apprenticeships or internships
you are a medium to large organisation with sufficient ongoing turnover of staff to be able to place a candidate against a real position in your head count
you want to give refugees a pathway to a permanent job (within your organisation or somewhere else) by giving them an opportunity to first demonstrate their abilities on the job.
Who can help?
Try Career Seekers, Jesuit Social Services, Brotherhood of St Laurence, or look in the refugee employment services directory for options in your State.
Adapt your recruitment practices to be more inclusive of refugees
This might suit you if:
you are looking for a reliable ongoing source of labour, skills or specialised industry talent
you want to employ people living and receiving services in your local community (or the local community of your customer-facing offices/branches)
you want to give refugees the opportunity for secure ongoing work.
Who can help?
Try the refugee employment services directory for options in your State.
Tips on how to make your recruitment practices more inclusive
Goals and resources
Determine the expectations of your senior leaders so you can set your goals and understand what success looks like.
Map out roles and responsibilities – Who will run the program, and which team will they work in (for example, human resources, diversity and inclusion). Should responsibilities be shared?
Think about whether framing a proposal as a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative or as a new recruitment pipeline would be more attractive to your senior leaders.
Is there a budget or is the work to be done through staff volunteer structures?
Some companies have found that minimising the impact on the budget and head count of the participating cost centre can make the prospect more attractive. Conversely, some have found that requiring participating cost centres to cover the cost increases their commitment to devote time and effort to maximise success.
Do you need to bring in expertise from outside, eg a specialised refugee employment service? How much will this cost, financially and in terms of relationship management?
Recruitment policies, processes and practices
How does your organisation manage head count / establishment numbers / FTEs? If you are bringing on board someone temporarily (eg, for an internship), figure out how it will work in practice.
Eligibility requirements – What criteria must a person meet to be eligible to work with you (for example, type of visa, work rights, background and security checks).
How might your usual recruitment processes need to be changed, or could you supplement it with a different process for identifying a vacancy suitable for refugee job seekers then proactively find and support them to apply?
“We set aside certain types of roles - cleaning, catering, trades - and ask community partners to put forward candidates. We’re not looking for particular qualifications; a good attitude is more important. We train them on the job.”
What other employers do
Include refugee employment services in their list of recruitment companies that they use. Tell hiring managers about this extra pool of candidates that their conventional recruitment processes miss.
Follow a ‘social inclusion strategy’ where all roles can be recruited through social inclusion pathways.
Establish an alternate refugee employment pathway and respond to requests from managers to use this pathway to fill vacancies, as they arise. Recruit for positions that give candidates the best chance of success, eg where they can find matching personal attributes but teach specific skills.
Run a set number of intakes each year, and seek expressions of interest from managers who can offer vacancies open at that time.
Partner with refugee employment services to help short-list refugee candidates. Join their existing program, or ask them to help develop a program.
Advertise job vacancies through refugee community networks (word-of-mouth), community language radio, newspapers and social media portals (such as the Connections Australia app. Translate information about job vacancies into languages of the communities they want to apply.
“We established a service provider network, of 40 organisations working with people experiencing disadvantage. When a vacancy comes up, we ask each organisation to put forward their best 3 candidates and we assess them through a social inclusion process.”
Follow different principles to assess a candidate’s suitability for the job or placement that takes into account the barriers refugees experience when applying for jobs in Australia.
Start small, with a trial or pilot, and establish a continuous improvement model to incorporate feedback.
Enlisting support
Build a team of supporters and advocates from across different levels of your organisation.
Enlist a champion from the senior leadership team.
Find a supportive manager willing to give someone an opportunity, who can work with you to welcome the first refugee.
Generate a pool of volunteer mentors and buddies to provide ongoing support to the new refugee employee and the manager and colleagues with whom they will be working.
Clearly articulate to your workforce what the change is, the reasons for it and the benefits to the organisation.
Prepare answers to forthright questions from employees who may be curious, have no understanding of issues relating to refugees, or be resistant.
Raise awareness of the issues by arranging for a refugee guest speaker to share their stories at an office event. Organisations like Road to Refuge and NaTakallam may be able to help.
“Look for host managers and teams with a growth mindset.”
Choose refugee employment service partners
Develop relationships built on trust and shared values.
Consider if a local community organisation or one with national or State-wide reach will be more suitable for your needs.
Considering working with more than one organisation, to give you access to a wider pool of job seekers.
Ask them what pre-employment and post-placement support they provide to help you successfully navigate cultural and personal issues that refugee employees can experience.
Ensure their approach is to understand your operational needs and provide services to help you recruit the best candidates.
Be clear about timeframes in which you expect services will be delivered.
Start with a pilot program, to assess their capacity to meet your needs and priorities, before making any long-term commitments to partnering with them.
Look in the refugee employment services directory to find a community partner in your State.
“Using a community partner is more cost effective than doing our own pre-vetting.”