According to a new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) study, one of the greatest challenges facing Australia is the integration of immigrants and the lack of engagement. While the acceptance of Australians from other countries is 100%, the ABS study found that in the last ten years, integration numbers were 47% for Vietnamese, 56% for Chinese, 55% for Filipinos, 51% for Indian, and only 33% for Europeans. The ABS released a report stating these findings on Thursday, June 6, and they are reported in a press release for ABC. The study was conducted by Professor John Brumby from the University of Melbourne and Dr Rachael Brumby from Macquarie University. Know more about for Australian immigration visit myimmigrationhelp.com
“Given the number of immigrants who are traditionally more educationally and economically disadvantaged, we should see a greater level of engagement in education and employment, and in joining the community in the past twenty years,” the authors wrote in their study.
The study followed more than 10,000 Australians between 2002 and 2014 and examined how the incomes of the different groups were changing over time. However, their study also found the integration of immigrants is slipping. The researchers specifically looked at Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, and Indian immigrants and found that those groups make up the majority of immigration, and those groups consistently showed low rates of integration.
The study looked at both immigrants’ level of education and their jobs, and among the groups, the gap was the most noticeable. The researchers also investigated how social media and social problems affected the education and employment of immigrants. A reliance on social media is a big concern for the researchers, as Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian immigrants tend to use social media less than other groups, the study stated. These Asian immigrants tend to use smartphones less than Europeans and Pacific Islanders. On top of that, the study found that the quality of English perceived by immigrants was lower than that of the non-immigrant members of the community.
“[English] is a good pathway to employment for people but it’s harder for people whose speech is better,” Associate Professor Brumby told AAP. The study also found that these immigrants were less active in the community and lower use of smartphones and social media were the reason for this.
“Engagement in the community is growing, but it’s making real progress,” Brumby said in the release. “It’s about re-engaging low-achieving immigrants at school and making sure they’re doing work so that they can begin to enter into the workforce.”