Australia could gain $10 billion by tapping into skilled migrants

And while this particular narrative may be an apocryphal urban myth, there is more than a grain of truth in the notion the skills and experience of many migrants and refugees are going to waste in Australia.

My organisation, migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, recently commissioned an economist to run the numbers on what a scheme to better harness the talents of migrant and refugees would look like.

The paper, produced by Dr Ian Pringle, found utilising the skills and experience migrants and refugees bring with them could benefit Australia's economy by as much as $10 billion over five years.

It found supporting new arrivals to re-establish their professional careers in Australia could generate more than $2.5 billion in extra tax receipts as well as an extra $8 billion in earnings circulating in the economy over five years.

What's more is that the extra access to skills could also produce a 10 per cent spike in productivity while adding more than $10 billion to Australia's GDP over five years.

The paper, titled Untapped: How Australia can reap economic benefits from better utilising the skills of migrants and refugees, found between one-third and half of skilled migrants were not using all of the professional skills, experience and qualifications after arrival in Australia.

It said barriers to migrants reaching their full potential included a lack of local experience and networks, unfamiliarity with Australian workplace culture and the job market, as well as language or pronunciation.

But we know intensive support delivered early in migrants' settlement journeys can achieve positive results in supporting new arrivals achieve their career aspirations.

One such program is our own Skilled Professional Migrant Program (SPMP) which has a 77 per cent success rate in helping participants find work within six months - most in professional work aligned with their qualifications.

The SPMP costs as little as $1000 per student and the paper found an investment of around $10 million a year would enable it to be delivered across the country.

Dr Pringle said it was clear improved employment outcomes among migrants and refugees would deliver a dividend to the Australian economy and go some way towards addressing the skills shortages we are seeing across most sectors.

Ian's paper isn't telling us something we don't already know.

Working with migrants and refugees over many years, we've seen many skilled and experienced people struggle to re-establish their careers in Australia.

But we have also seen lots of success stories. Often, these successes are down to early career support, such as through the SPMP program.

One such story is that of skilled migrant and medical scientist Dr Mohammad Alshawsh, who struggled to resume his professional career after arriving in Australia.

After completing the SPMP course, he gained a job at Monash University. The program provided an opportunity for Mohammad to connect with other skilled migrants and learn more about the Australian job market.

It provided strategies, networking opportunities and knowledge of Australian workplace culture, as well as mentors, who gave Mohammad practical tips on things like resumes and interview techniques.

Another story is that of Anh Booth, a Vietnamese migrant with vast experience in the fashion and garment industry working for international brands, who also struggled to reignite her career in Australia.

Through the SPMP program, Anh was connected with a leading local manufacturer of protective clothing. Ultimately, she gained a senior role at the company and is flourishing.

Instead of arguing about what the migrant intake level is, maybe we should be trying to better leverage the skills and qualifications of migrants and refugees who are already here or who are part of the current intake levels.

Australia is one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world. Migration and refugee settlement has brought the nation demonstrable economic and social benefits.

Our settlement programs are widely regarded among the world's best, but there is an opportunity to improve outcomes and speed up the time it takes for new arrivals to become economically and socially integrated.

Settling newly arrived people into jobs and local communities faster and more sustainably will pay dividends for all through increased levels of wellbeing and security for individuals and families, through more cohesive communities, and through the obvious economic gains in tax collected and a reduced welfare burden.

Instead of arguing about what the migrant intake level is, maybe we should be trying to better leverage the skills and qualifications of migrants and refugees who are already here or who are part of the current intake levels.

We believe there are economic and moral arguments for a national program that supports skilled migrants and refugees to find employment that fits with their skills qualifications as they begin their settlement journeys in Australia.