The gendered consequences of skill-discounting for migrants

Abstract

Skill-discounting is the term often used to describe when the knowledge, qualifications and experience of migrants are assessed by employers as being less valuable than those of domestic job seekers. As a result of skill-discounting, migrants usually struggle to obtain employment comparable to their pre-migration job. Using analysis of covariance of the Continuous Survey of Australia’s Migrants dataset of 109,000 migrants collected between 2009 and 2011, this article investigates whether male and female migrants experience skill-discounting differently. We compare the extent, form, processes and outcomes of skill-discounting between male and female self-initiated migrants. Female migrants are less likely to be skill-discounted, are skill-discounted for different reasons, find replacement jobs that require similar skill but lower levels of responsibility and pay considerably less than for their male counterparts, and report marginally greater job satisfaction. This article contributes to the migration literature by identifying the gendered effects of the skill-discounting of migrant expertise. It also contributes to the public policy literature by making a series of recommendations to minimise skill-discounting.

A Framework of Facilitators and Barriers to Career Adaptability: Migrant Hotel Workers During COVID-19

“…Contextual factors influencing migrants’—particularly permanent residents’—career adaptability, included limited opportunities in hotels and, conversely, job availability and perceived career opportunities in sectors outside of hotels. This prompted permanent residents, particularly those with non-hospitality qualifications in so-called refugee jobs—comprising work that is below migrants’ qualifications and experience ( Treuren et al, 2021 )—to deliberate on and explore career choices (career curiosity) and plan for future career developments (career concern). For example, as the sector’s recovery was expected to take a significant amount of time before employment returned to pre-pandemic levels, Respondent 6, who had a degree in accounting, was “driven by a strong determination [to] change career,” which he planned for by exploring information on alternate career opportunities that fit with his desire for long-term job security: I am a manager, working for a company which works with different hotels.…”

“…Our findings extend this work, by revealing that perception of career opportunities varied according to migrant status, with permanent migrants expecting the hotel sector’s recovery to take significant time, while temporary migrants perceived it would recover in the short term. As a consequence, temporary migrants expected to transition back to their jobs in hotels in the short term, while permanent residents, particularly those with non-hospitality qualifications in refugee jobs ( Treuren et al 2021 ), perceived that a lack of opportunities, particularly for progression, adversely impacted their attitude to a hospitality career ( Rudolph et al, 2021 ), and led them to deliberate, explore, and capitalize on career opportunities outside of hotels.…”

Inefficiencies and bias in first job placement: The case of professional Asian nationals in the United States

“…Employers may justify lower quality placement and rewards given to immigrants, even when they possess the necessary observable skills (e.g. schooling and training), by discounting these skills (Treuren et al, 2021). For example, organizations may assume that immigrants lack adequate soft skills that facilitate interactions and communication among employees.…”

Sex- and gender-based differences in the migration process: a systematic literature review

“…Migratory movements are highly gendered processes. Migrant women and men exhibit different migration aspirations and determinants, report different experiences throughout their journeys and at the destination, rely on different network structures, and their integration outcomes vary (Van Praag, 2022;Buján, 2015;Meyer et al, 2019;Ager, Ager, & Long, 1995;Hoang, 2011;Treuren, Manoharan, & Vishnu, 2021;Salikutluk & Menke, 2021;Pérez & Freier, 2022). While some of the mechanisms for these differences are known, as they have been discovered mainly through qualitative research, quantifying the heterogeneity in migration patterns remains mostly under-explored.…”