DECLARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ABSTRACT
1. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. The context of the study
1.2. The change of policy orientation
1.3. Divisions in the migration literature
1.4. The importance of the occupational mobility perspective
1.5. The researcher’s position in the research: An attempt to understand reflexivity
2. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. The terminological complexity of international mobility
2.2. Terminology to demarcate skilled migrants
2.3. Key themes highlighted in the migration literature
2.4. Downward occupational mobility as a global issue: Evidence from countries around the world
2.5. Skilled migrants’ employment outcomes in Australia: Some quantitative findings
2.5.1. Official findings and mobility explanations from the DIBP
2.5.2. Alternative perspectives on skilled migrants’ employment outcomes
2.6. Occupational mobility barriers for skilled migrants in Australia
2.6.1. The challenges in qualification recognition
2.6.2. The role of professional bodies, recruiters and other forms of labour market ‘gatekeepers’
2.6.3. Australian policies and regulations for equal employment opportunity (EEO)
2.7. Structure–agency interplay in migrant employment
3. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Rejecting methodological individualism: Ontological, analytical and methodological dualism
3.2. Structure–agency interplay: Ontological assumptions and epistemological orientation
3.3. The critical realists’ pathway: Ontological realism, epistemological relativism and judgemental rationality
3.4. Methodological options for critical realist research
3.5. Adoption of mixed research methodology
3.6. Defining research participants
3.6.1. Phase 1: Quantitative phase
3.6.2. Phase 2: Qualitative phase
3.7. Reliability and validity
3.8. Ethics consideration of the research
4. CHAPTER 4: QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS
4.1. Background to the CSAM dataset
4.2. CSAM sample selection
4.3. Outliers, weighting and data coding
4.4. The sample used in this research: Skill stream primary applicants
4.5. Characteristics of migrants skills and educational qualifications
4.5.1. The extent of home country educational qualifications and skills
4.5.2. Skilled migrants’ attainments of Australian qualifications
4.5.3. Skilled migrants’ visa reporting categories
4.6. Skilled migrants’ employment outcomes: A deeper examination
4.6.1. The extent of employment among skilled migrants
4.6.2. The quantity of work secured by the skilled migrants
4.6.3. Mapping skilled migrants’ occupational mobility
4.6.3.1. Occupational mobility in terms of language background
4.6.3.2. Occupational mobility in terms of visa sponsorship status
4.6.3.3. Occupational mobility in terms of gender
4.7. Benefits of using CSAM data
4.8. Limitations of using CSAM data
5. CHAPTER 5: QUALITATIVE FINDINGS
5.1. Focus group findings: Occupation specific mobility barriers
5.1.1. Common occupational mobility barriers for accountancy and finance sector workers
5.1.2. Common occupational mobility barriers for administrative and office assistance workers
5.1.3. Common occupational mobility barriers for education and scientific industry workers
5.1.4. Common occupational mobility barriers for engineers and other technical sector workers
5.2. Pre-arrival experience and occupational mobility
5.2.1. Selected 10 individuals: More detailed personal accounts of the skilled migrant experience
5.2.2. Preparation strategies and participants perceptions on Australian labour market in the pre-arrival stage
5.2.3. Skill assessment process: Participants’ understanding of the complicated sourcing process
5.3. Post-arrival jobseeking experience and occupational mobility barriers
5.3.1. The similarities and differences between skilled migrants’ previous jobs and comparable Australian jobs
5.3.2. The need for Australian context-specific knowledge as a mobility barrier
5.3.3. The lack of local work experience as an occupational mobility barrier
5.3.4. Recognition of foreign qualifications and work experience
5.3.5. Availability of jobs: Participants’ experiences in low job growth industries
5.3.6. Participants’ experiences with recruitment services and labour market intermediaries
5.3.7. English language proficiency and cultural distance as an occupational mobility barrier
5.3.8. Skill atrophy and outdated skills as an occupational mobility barrier
5.3.9. Knowledge of local job searching techniques, local referees, social networks and supportive career counselling programs
5.3.10. Job searching strategies
5.4. Post-employment career progression and work experience
5.4.1. Use of previously developed skills in new jobs
5.4.2. Australian workplace culture, prospects of assimilation and direct or systemic discrimination in the workplace
5.5. Agents’ motivation and desire to contribute to Australia
5.6. Intersectionality and experience of dual/multiple disadvantage
5.7. Skilled migrants’ experiences through the morphogenetic perspective
5.8. The difference between the agential perception of social structures and real, causally efficacious emergent properties of social structures
5.9. Skill assessment process: The complicated skilled migration sourcing process
5.10. Skill transferability through structure–agency perspective
5.11. Skilled migrant employment through a skill transferability perspective
5.12. The problems associated with foreign work experience and educational qualification recognition: The subtlety of structural manifestations
5.13. The role of labour market intermediaries as occupational mobility barriers and facilitators
5.14. Theoretical framework to understand the interplay between structural and agential concerns of skilled migrants’ occupational mobility
5.15. Directions for future research
APPENDIX A: AN EXAMPLE OF QUALITATIVE CODE ARRANGEMENT (4 OF THE 30 SECOND-ORDER CODES)
APPENDIX B: PARTICIPANT INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM
APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL FOR THE QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION PHASE
APPENDIX D: ETHICS APPROVAL LETTER
APPENDIX E: THE GAP BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL CEILINGS AND ACTUAL VISA INVITATIONS
APPENDIX F: INDUSTRY PLACEMENT INTRODUCTION LETTER USED BY THE CAREER COUNSELLING PROGRAM
