Asian youths fail to land Australian jobs

Zhang Xin is 22 years old, ambitious, outgoing and living the Sydney dream. It's a dream that includes beautiful beaches, blue skies and - as she is a former international student - a dream of work. Any work.

The latest data released this week on unemployment in Australia for young people from non-English-speaking countries is damning. And it's a story with which young graduates like Zhang are all too familiar.

Youth from around Asia, attracted by Australia's apparent idyllic lifestyle, are being scuttled at their peak, passed over in their search for work, despite their high level of training, according to a national report released this week.

According to Zhang, there is a "bamboo ceiling" that not only limits the career paths of job-seekers from Asian backgrounds but actually creates obstacles to getting a job in Australia.

"It is very hard. Life here is expensive. My qualifications put me at least on equal footing with my peers, but I cannot help but think that my heritage, my accent, my cultural background put me at a disadvantage," Zhang said.

According to the lead author of the CALD Youth Report 2014 and University of Adelaide Professor Graeme Hugo, non-English-speaking youths are being overlooked in the race for positions.

CALD means "culturally and linguistically diverse".

Only 55.9 percent of young people aged 18 to 24 from CALD countries such as China, India and the Philippines were employed, compared to 71.6 percent of Australian-born youths.

Hugo said refugees are encountering even stiffer resistance, with just one-third employed.

"Refugees tended to experience the most difficulty," he said.

Based on census data from 2011, the report found that among nearly 3.7 million people aged 12 to 24 living in Australia during 2011, nearly 600,000 were born overseas, and 400,000 were born in a CALD country. About 48,000 were refugees.

William Chen, founder of HireChinese, a new website aiming to help connect talented Chinese students and graduates looking for jobs with Australian companies, said there is a disconnect between Australian companies eager to source quality China-focused talent and the rich availability of talent on the ground in Australia.

"It's foolish to pin these figures on racial preferences. The fact is many Australian companies are seeking Chinese and Asian talent. As Australia looks to engage in the 'Asian Century', it's simply a question of linking these two synergistic groups.

"HireChinese is a project to bridge the gap. We want to bridge the chasm. We want to solve the problem."

China, and Asia generally, are the core of new business investment, but Australia is oddly lacking in a capacity to engage with local Asian talent, Chen said.

Asia is not only in Australia's backyard but the region is forecast to account for upward of 40 percent of the world's combined GDP by 2030. It is viewed by most major Australian employers as the centrifugal force of future growth.

But the numbers, according to Chen whose China consulting practice ChinaKey also services Australian companies marketing into China, just don't reflect the scale of the disconnect.

The South Australian capital, Adelaide, for example, is populated with about 26,700 CALD youths, yet only about 55 percent are employed.

"There has to be a hand waiting to reach out on both sides," he said.

Hugo, the professor, said youths from overseas were enrolled in full- or part-time education, including 58 percent of those 18 to 24, compared with 39 percent of Australian-born youths. But does it translate into career opportunities?

"They're actually entering the workforce with greater preparation and qualifications than those who are Australian-born, so really their success level should be higher," he said.

Zhang Xin is frustrated that her qualifications take a back seat when it comes to interview time.

"There is an intolerance, I feel, if I stumble over my English, or I don't present in a culturally familiar way. I'm afraid I wear my interviewers' patience down with language."

(China Daily 08/09/2014 page11)