For the non-English speaking population, being able to find work and participate in the local economy is a very important step to settling into Australia. High employment can indicate an engaged migrant community, or perhaps a large contingent on work-sponsored visas. A high level of unemployment or low participation rate (the percentage of the population in the labour force) can indicate a community of recent migrants with difficulties adjusting to economic life in Australia, and perhaps with a reliance on government benefits.

Differences in employment status for the local non-English speaking population may be related to the age and length of time that population has been in Australia, proportion of second-generation migrants, as well as qualification levels.

Please note that due to lockdowns in many parts of Australia and the availability of JobKeeper, users may find that some groups have a significant increase in the ‘Employed, away from work’ category. Use these data with caution when comparing over time to previous Censuses.

Employment data should be looked at in conjunction with Age Structure and Qualification data for the recent arrivals.