The Australian Filipina is glad to share the findings of a study of conducted by a Filipino, Kathrina Gonzales, which earned her PhD. Kathrina Gonzales, PhD, from Swinburne University's Centre for Social Impact, focused her research on the labour market integration outcomes of skilled Filipino migrants in Melbourne. Her study examined their workforce participation experiences and the factors facilitating or hindering their integration. By analysing human and social capital attributes contributing to employment, her research provides valuable insights into the dynamics and determinants of successful integration for skilled Filipino migrants.
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Skilled migrant workers have contributed significantly to Australia's economic growth and population growth: in the recent census, they accounted for 58% of all permanent migrants. They are a major source of occupation and have the skills to fill up openings in the labour market.
Filipino workers are becoming one of the emerging migrant groups in Victoria, Australia. They are part of Victoria's state's top five migrants on a skilled visa and with permanent status.
(Source: Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Census and migrants integrated dataset 2016 – Victoria)
The core of my study is to demonstrate the labour market integration experiences of skilled Filipino workers living in local government areas (LGAs) of Melbourne. Labour market integration are outcomes that seek to improve migrants’ employability or the capability of getting and keeping satisfactory work. Employment is a fundamental component of labour market integration. Since most migrants choose to remain in their host country, employment is the most crucial step towards effective integration into their new communities.
Quantitative data was collected from 146 skilled Filipino permanent resident migrants using a structured questionnaire, which was supplemented by semi-structured follow-up interviews with 10 respondents.
My findings reveal that the following skilled Filipino migrants working in Melbourne are:
Among those who are employed, a high of 79% reported that they are currently working in the industry they were trained and educated. 83% enjoy better economic status in Melbourne than they used to have in the Philippines.
Gender Implications to Migration
Skilled migration is almost always associated and dominated by male and their employment and professional paths, leaving competent females hidden. According to migration literature, female migrants’ pre- and post-arrival experiences differ greatly from males. These differences, along with females' reproductive responsibilities, put them at a disadvantage, potentially leading to differing labour integration outcomes. As a result, it is essential to examine these differences. My study used a mixed-method approach to identify significant links between skilled migrants’ characteristics and employment outcomes.
Out of 146 respondents included in my study, 74 are female. Before migration, 82% of female respondents are in the workforce, while 95% of male respondents are fully employed. After migration, the following observations were made:
1. Female respondents' labour market participation has increased from 82% to 95%.
2. Almost all skilled Filipino migrants are proficient in speaking the English language. Respondents have improved their English since migrating. However, the improvement is more marked for females (78%) than males (64%).
3. The current occupations of the respondents are more than 17% of male respondents work in IT, compared to only 13% of female respondents. A large proportion of female respondents (22%) work in health care and social services, while only 2% of males do so.
4. On average, 74% of the respondents (76% male, 72% female) consider their prior education as an important factor in labor market participation.
5. Not only are females at par in participative in the workforce, but they also earn almost the same as males. Female respondents (33%) earn more than male respondents (29%) with a weekly income of 1,250-1,999 AUD (91h 35m). However, a large proportion of men respondents (32%) earns between 2,000 AUD (91h 38m) or more per week than female respondents (14%).
6. Females (84%) have better current income and enjoy better economic status in Australia than they used to have in the Philippines than males (81%).
7. Satisfaction with life is also considerably different across gender. Females (89%) are more satisfied with their life in Australia than their male (86%) counterparts.
How Can We Help Skilled Migrants?
The study increases our understanding of labour market integration outcomes of skilled Filipino migrants working in the LGAs of Melbourne. Hopefully, the results of my study could provide evidence to improve employment outcomes of not just the skilled Filipino migrants but skilled migrants, in general, to further support Australia’s economic growth.
ABOUT KATHRINA GONZALES
Kathrina Gonzales was born in Laguna, Philippines, to parents who also hail from Laguna. She is the eldest of two daughters. Kathrina completed her Bachelor of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. She worked at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and gained experience with international organisations like like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Asian Development Bank. In 2019, Kathrina began her PhD studies at Swinburne University's Centre for Social Impact, which she completed in 2024.