Migration and Occupational Diseases: Research, Policy, and Practice Symposium

The Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health is hosting a symposium on migrant workers’ health on 7 November.  

Our CEO, Matt Kunkel, will be joining a distinguished panel of experts, including Mahinda Seneviratne, an occupational health and safety strategist, and Professor Deborah Glass, an expert in occupational exposure assessment. 

Click here to register find out more.

Join the Activate Australia’s Skills campaign

Australia is facing a paradox: critical skill shortages alongside a wealth of underutilised talent. Activate Australia’s Skills is spearheading a movement to reform our skills recognition system.  

By activating the potential of Australia’s overseas-trained workforce, we can add $9 billion to Australia's GDP annually and address critical shortages in healthcare, construction, and childcare.  

The Migrant Workers Centre is a proud supporter of the Activate Australia’s Skills campaign. 

Learn more here and act by signing the open letter.

Tom Barratt, a researcher from Perth, is looking for people working in the gig economy (e.g., Uber, Airtasker, Mabel etc) to participate in a research project. The project looks at why, where, when and how people do gig work and how it fits in with their lives.

Interviews will take around 30 minutes and can be done over the phone at a time that suits you (with an optional follow up after 3 months).

More details on his project and a sign up form are available at www.gigfragments.org or you can email [email protected] – interviews are anonymous and approved by a university ethics process, the project is independent of gig platforms and of government.

Be Our Guests: Addressing urgent modern slavery risks for temporary migrant workers in rural and regional New South Wales

NSW Anti-Slavery Commission (2024).  

This report highlights emerging modern slavery risks among temporary migrant workers, particularly PALM workers, in rural and regional NSW. Based on two years of information gathering and consultation, the report identifies over 200 disengaged PALM workers facing mistreatment, exploitation, and lack of income and healthcare. The report highlights the need for continued cooperation between Pacific countries and the Australian government to address these risks effectively.  

Digital Platform Work in Australia Findings from a 2023 national survey  

Williams, P., Stewart, A.J., McDonald, P., Mayes, R., Obst, T., Kennon, C., Feldman, A. and Tran, P.A., (2024). Digital Platform Work in Australia: Findings from a 2023 national survey. 

This report presents the findings of a nationally representative 2023 survey on digital platform work in Australia. Drawing on more than 14,600 responses, the results show that participation in platform work has increased and diversified post-COVID, with workers increasingly reliant on this type of work to supplement their income.  

Migrant sexual precarity through the lens of workplace litigation

Boucher, A.K. (2024). Migrant sexual precarity through the lens of workplace litigation. Gender, Work & Organization. 

Feminist scholars argue that sexual violence further intensifies worker precarity, which is shaped by isolation, lack of control, and migration status. This paper focuses on the intersection of migration status, workplace conditions, gender, and sexual violence, introducing the concept of "sexual precarity" as a distinct, reinforcing form of workplace precarity. Data from 907 tribunal and court cases, drawn from the Migrant Worker Rights Database, show that female migrants experience higher rates of sexual harassment, servitude, and trafficking compared to their male counterparts. 

‘This isn’t forever for me’: Perceived employability and migrant gig work in Norway and Sweden

Newlands, G. (2024). ‘This isn’t forever for me’: Perceived employability and migrant gig work in Norway and Sweden. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 56(4), 1262-1279.   

This study explores perceptions of employability among migrant gig workers, based on 37 interviews in Norway and Sweden. The findings show that gig work is not viewed as a sign of local employability, and many migrants see it as separate from the traditional job market. Their short-term focus helps them manage the physical and emotional demands of gig work. Additionally, they must navigate perceived discrimination in the local job market, which affects how they view their own employability. Lastly, gig work experience is generally seen as irrelevant or even detrimental to gaining future employment in the local labour market. 

A 2019 survey by the Migrant Workers' Centre and Unions NSW revealed rampant exploitation in Australia’s farming industry. Over 1,300 backpackers reported severe wage theft and abuse, with 78% underpaid and some earning just $9 a day. 

We took action by calling on the Fair Work Commission to amend the Horticulture Award. Our efforts have paid off. Now, all piece-rate workers are guaranteed a minimum wage, regardless of the type of farm work they do or where they are employed.