South Asian Female Migrants’ Work Differentials

Abstract

This article examines the employment and occupational status of South Asian female migrants in Australia, mostly Indian and Sri Lankan. It highlights their work differentials with both native-born and other female migrants in this multicultural context and confirms that they are a highly selected population who potentially bring considerable economic benefits to the receiving society. The observation that South Asian female migrants in Australia are able to contribute significant human capital in the form of language and education skills, but do so to some extent on their own terms, suggests that more careful attention needs to be paid to selecting migrants from South Asia and facilitating their entry into the labour market.