Australian-born Workers Research Articles

682Do job stressor—mental health relationships vary by migrant status? An Australian comparative analysis

Abstract Background Migrants may be more likely to experience occupational health inequities (OHIs) than native-born workers due to higher occupational exposure, higher vulnerability to exposure-associated health impacts, or both. This study explores migrant status-related differences in vulnerability to job stressor exposures in terms of mental health in Australia. Methods Data were from wave 14 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. Migrant status was defined by country of birth (COB), the dominant language of COB, and the years since arrival in Australia. Job stressors included skill discretion, decision authority, and job insecurity. Mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5 score (MHI-5). Data were analysed using linear regression, adjusting for gender, age, and education. Migrant status was analysed as the effect modifier of job stressor—mental health relationships. Results As expected, skill discretion and decision authority were positively, while job insecurity was negatively associated with the MHI-5 score. However, there was no statistical evidence of migrant status acting as an effect modifier of job stressor—mental health relationships even though the dominant language of COB and years since arrival in Australia have been taken into account. Conclusions The magnitudes of job stressor—mental health relationships do not differ between migrant workers and Australia-born workers. Key messages Differential exposure rather than differential vulnerability is a more important mechanism for generating occupational mental health inequities between migrants and Australian-born workers. Reducing job stressor exposures could reduce the OHIs among migrant workers in Australia.

How Refugees Experience the Australian Workplace: A Comparative Mixed Methods Study.

There is a growing body of evidence indicating poorer working conditions for migrant workers, particularly refugees, compared with native-born workers. Our objectives were to compare exposure to workplace psychosocial stressors in working refugees with other migrant groups and Australian-born workers of Caucasian ancestry and to describe the working experience of refugees. Cross-sectional surveys collected information on the workplace stressors of job complexity, control, security, bullying, and racial discrimination from six migrant groups (n = 1062) and Caucasian Australians (n = 1051); semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used with currently employed refugees (n = 30). Content analysis examined the qualitative data. Compared to all other groups, working refugees were more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace and to report exposure to more than three hazards. Content analysis indicated that working refugees are working below their capacity, in terms of hours and qualifications, and in jobs that were low status and lacked security. Despite challenging work conditions, participants reported adequate health and safety training and feeling a sense of pride in their work. These findings highlight the need for better support for refugees in negotiating the workplace once they find employment and the importance of employers providing an inclusive and equitable workplace.

Examining the Impact of Two Dimensions of Precarious Employment, Vulnerability and Insecurity on the Self-Reported Health of Men, Women and Migrants in Australia.

Precarious employment is increasing and adversely affects health. We aimed to investigate how perception of precariousness in current employment impacts gender and migrant workers in Australia. Using cross-sectional interviews of 1292 workers born in Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines, data were collected on self-reported health, employment conditions and sociodemographics. Factor analysis of nine questions about perceptions of current employment revealed two dimensions, vulnerability and insecurity. Women had higher vulnerability scores (µ = 6.5 vs. µ = 5.5, t = 5.40, p-value (p) < 0.000) but lower insecurity scores (µ = 8.6 vs. µ = 9.3 t = −4.160 p < 0.0003) than men. Filipino-born workers had higher vulnerability compared with other migrant workers (µ = 6.5 vs. µ = 5.8 t = −3.47 p < 0.0003), and workers born in India had higher insecurity compared with other migrant workers (µ = 9.8 vs. µ = 8.9, t = −6.1 p < 0.0001). While the prevalence of insecurity varied by migrant status, the negative effect on health was higher for Australian-born workers than migrants. Increasing levels of vulnerability and insecurity impacted self-reported health negatively (Coefficient (Coef).0.34 p < 0.0001; Coef.0.25 p < 0.0001, respectively). The combination of high vulnerability and high insecurity had the greatest impact on health (Coef. 2.37 p = 0.002), followed by high vulnerability and moderate insecurity (Coef. 2.0 p = 0.007). Our study suggests that understanding both changes in employment conditions over time as well as knowledge of cultural patterns may offer the best chance of understanding the impact of precarious employment experiences.

Are foreign-born workers more likely to make multiple injury claims than native-born workers?

Several studies have explored the factors associated with repeat workers’ compensation claims, however, none investigated the impact of migration status on repeat claims among injured workers. Using South Australian workers’ compensation claims data from 2000 to 2014, generalized estimating equation models were used to compare the differences in repeat claims between foreign-born workers (FBW) and Australian-born workers. Time intervals between repeat claims, compensation costs, and working days lost by region of birth, as well as the change of severity between repeat claims were examined. Amongst 464,596 accepted compensation claims, repeat claims for FBW (50.5%) was lower than that of Australian-born workers (57.4%, incidence-rate ratio, IRR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.82–0.84). However, region-specific analysis showed that European-born migrant workers were 19% more likely to make repeat claims than Australian-born workers (IRR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.17–1.22), including burns, digestive diseases, fractures, infectious diseases, mental disorders, musculoskeletal diseases, and skin injuries. The time interval between repeat claims was shorter for FBW compared to Australian-born workers and compensation payments of repeat claims were higher. Regardless of birth region, time intervals between repeat claims showed a decreasing temporal trend, while it was the opposite in terms of injury severity. Foreign-born workers were generally less likely to make a repeat claim than Australian-born workers, but with birth region differences. This may be attributable to underreporting from some workers. Foreign-born workers were generally less likely to have time off work but the overall costs were higher. These differences should be considered in future injury prevention strategies.

Descriptive study of workplace demand, control and bullying among migrant and Australian-born workers by gender: does workplace support make a difference?

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to examine the relationship between bullying in migrants and Australians and types of workplace Iso-strain, by gender.Design and settingTwo descriptive cross-sectional surveys of the Australian working population.ParticipantsAustralian-born workers of Caucasian ancestry (n=1051, participant response rate=87.3%) and workers born in New Zealand (n=566), India (n=633) and the Philippines (n=431) (participant response rate=79.5%).Primary and secondary outcomes measuresUsing logistic regression, we examined whether self-reported assessment of various forms of bullying in the workplace was associated with Iso-strain (job with high demands and low control and without social support), gender and migrant status.ResultsThe prevalence of workplace bullying within the previous year was 14.5%. Sexual harassment, though rare (n=47, 1.8%), was reported by more women than men (83% vs 17%, χ2=19.3, p<0.0001) and more Australia or New Zealand born workers compared to India or the Philippines workers (75.5% vs 25.5%, χ2=4.6, p=0.032). Indian-born women had lower adjusted OR for being bullied and for being intimidated compared to other women. Independent of migrant status, Iso-strain (1), (low support from boss) and Iso-strain (2), (low support from colleagues) predicted being bullied. Women were more likely to be in an Iso-strain (1) job than men (18.7% vs 13.6%, p=0.013) and had twice the risk of being both verbally abused and intimidated compared to men (OR 9 vs OR 5.5, p<0.0001).ConclusionWorkplace bullying was more likely for women than men. There were few differences between workers from different migrant groups. Iso-strain was the strongest predictor of workplace bullying. Workplaces should encourage supportive and collegiate work environments.

Targeting workforce strategies: understanding intra-group differences between Asian migrants in the Australian aged care workforce

Migrants are an important component of the Australian aged care workforce and workers from Asia are the fastest-growing migrant cohort in the sector. Differentiating between migrants from South-East, North-East and Southern Asia and comparing them to other migrants and Australianborn workers, data from the 2012 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey is used to examine experiences of working in aged care, including working arrangements, job satisfaction and future work plans. The findings provide a basis for developing more targeted and nuanced workforce strategies that could help attract and retain Asian-born workers and assist in their settlement and integration.

Put My Skills to Use? Understanding the Joint Effect of Job Security and Skill Utilization on Job Satisfaction Between Skilled Migrants and Australian Born Workers in Australia

The topic of skilled migrants has gained importance in the past decade as they are increasingly becoming one of the main drivers for labor supply in developed countries like Australia. Although there is research on skilled migrants, most have been studied from the perspectives of (un)employment, wage and over-education. Some evidence suggests that skilled migrants are often less satisfied with their job compared to their local counterparts, yet little is known about why these differences exist. Using a nationally representative sample of Australian workers, we examine how two important job characteristics, job security and skill utilization, exert their differential interaction effect on job satisfaction for skilled migrants and Australian born workers. We found a differential moderation effect between job security and skill utilization for skilled migrants and Australian born workers. For skilled migrants, high job security did not lead to positive reaction (i.e., job satisfaction), as this effect was dependent on their skill utilization; while such moderation effect was not present for Australian born workers. This study highlights the need to take a more fine-tuned approach by understanding target sample groups (e.g., skilled migrants) when study the relationship between key job characteristics and job satisfaction. Furthermore, it highlights the importance for organizations to revisit their human resource management strategies and policies to recognize the needs for enhancing skill utilization for skilled migrants.

Foreign-born aged care workers in Australia: A growing trend.

To address Australian aged care workforce challenges, a deeper understanding of the current care workforce is needed especially given estimated increases in demand. We provide a national picture of the aged care workforce in Australia focusing on country of birth. Data from the 2006 and 2011 Australian censuses. The majority of care workers are Australia-born followed by those born in the United Kingdom, South-East Asia and South Asia. While the number of carers from all regions has grown, the increase from 2006 to 2011 has been highest for carers from South Asia (333% increase) and sub-Saharan Africa (145%). The state with the largest decrease in the proportion of Australian-born care workers is Western Australia where Australian-born workers dropped from 62% in 2006 to 49% in 2011. Understanding the migration patterns of the aged care workforce in Australia is critical to health workforce planning given increasing demand.

Job embeddedness among migrants: fit and links without sacrifice

Australian employers are increasingly reliant on migrants, but turnover among migrants is significantly higher than turnover among Australian-born workers. Job embeddedness theory emphasises the role of employee attachment in understanding retention. We interviewed migrants to learn the different kinds of attachments they created on- and off-the-job. Migrants generated on- and off-the-job fit and links using strategies suggested by job embeddedness theory, but they also actively increased cultural distance from their countries of origin, used spiritual similarity to create attachments at work and engaged with their communities by hosting social gatherings. However, in contrast to predictions from job embeddedness theory, good fit and many links were not accompanied by a sense of sacrifice – migrants perceived few costs associated with leaving their employers and communities. We use these results to suggest ways in which organisations might be able to increase the embeddedness of their migrant employees.

Taking risks and survival jobs: Foreign-born workers and work-related injuries in Australia

Higher rates of work-related injuries (WRI) have been reported among foreign-born workers in many countries, but little is known about the situation in Australia, which initially had large waves of European followed by Asian migration and where the recruitment of skilled migrants has dominated recently. The aim of the study was to examine WRI among foreign-born workers in Australia. This was a two phase mixed methods study. The first stage used the 2005/6 and 2009/10 Australian national Multi-Purpose Household Survey (MPHS) information on WRI occurring in the previous year (N=36,702). Logistic regression examined the relationship between WRI and country of birth, adjusting for period of arrival in Australia, age, sex, industry and working conditions. Next, 92 purposively sampled foreign-born workers participated in individual interviews (n=17) or focus groups (n=75). Workers were sampled via community organisations, trade unions or churches. A concurrent thematic analysis was conducted. Analysis of the MPHS showed that country of birth was generally not associated with a higher reporting of WRI and compared with Australian-born workers, those from Oceania reported less WRI. Key themes from the interviews suggest that understanding of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) differed by community integration and cohesiveness. Precarious work, cultural factors and the demands of production may preclude workers from reporting incidents. Quantitative findings from the MPHS point to higher risks related to area of work rather than country of birth. However qualitative findings suggest there may be some under-reporting of WRI among migrants to Australia.

Work-related accidents, injuries and illnesses in migrant workers in Australia and duration of residence

ObjectivesThe international literature suggests that migrant workers have more work-related accidents and injuries than native-born workers. The evidence for Australia is patchy despite the fact that one in four Australians...

The Impact of Immigration on Australian-born Workers: An Assessment Using the National Labour Market Approach*

This paper estimates the effects of immigration on the labour market outcomes of Australian-born workers using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. Using the national labour market approach, we find positive effects of immigration on native earnings. The analysis indicates, however, that not all education groups are positively affected. In fact, Australian workers with certificates or diplomas have been adversely affected by immigration. The findings are robust across different model specifications and migrant definitions. Finally, we find that immigrants originating from primarily non-English speaking countries have greater positive effects on native earnings than immigrants from English-speaking countries.