Foreign students undercutting Australians in job market

School leavers and university graduates are being undercut in the job market, sparking a crackdown by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

A BIG surge in international students competing for jobs with Australian school leavers and university graduates has sparked a Fair Work Ombudsman crackdown on exploitation.

The number of foreign students with the right to work in Australia soared 10 per cent to a record 486,934 during 2017-18, The Sunday Mail can reveal.

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Unions have warned the Federal Government that overseas students desperate to live in Australia are undercutting local jobseekers by working for lower pay.

And Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker has threatened a crackdown on bosses who ktake advantage.

Ms Parker said 60 per cent of Fair Work court actions last financial year alleged serious breaches of workplace laws by businesses employing migrant workers.

“In particular, we’ve seen an increase in requests for assistance from international students,’’ she said.

“All workers in Australia have the same workplace rights and the deliberate exploitation of visa holders will not be tolerated.’’

Department of Home Affairs data reveals a 10 per cent jump in the number of international students during 2017-18, with most from China, India and Nepal.

The number of foreign students with work rights has leapt 30 per cent in the past three years, at a time when many local school-leavers and university graduates are struggling to find work.

Foreigners studying at university or training colleges such as TAFE can work for 40 hours a fortnight, with unlimited hours during study breaks.

But they can work without restrictions for up to four years after they graduate from an Australian university — pitting them directly against local graduates for entry-level jobs.

The number of these “temporary graduates’’ ballooned by one-third to a record 71,157 during 2017-18.

Chinese make up nearly a quarter of all foreign students, with the number increasing 7.8 per cent to 112,297 by the end of June.

The number of Indian students grew 18.3 per cent to 70,240 while the number from Nepal soared 55 per cent to 41,696.

The Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association, which represents workers in the retail and fast food sectors, has warned the federal government that foreign workers are taking Australian jobs.

“Often temporary visa workers are being engaged where skilled and qualified Australian workers are available to do the work,’’ the union has told a Senate inquiry into working visas.

“In the first place it is too easy for unscrupulous employers to abuse and rort the system.

“The promise of Australian residency can be an incentive for migrants to accept poor wages and conditions.’’

The National Tertiary Education Union told the inquiry that international students can “work in any industry, in any job’’ without restrictions once they graduate from an Australian university.

The unemployment rate among young Australians aged 20 to 24 years is 9.3 per cent for those seeking full-time jobs, and 5.8 per cent among those seeking part-time work, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data for November shows.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesman said the international education sector contributed more than $30 billion to Australia’s economy last year.

“Similar to many of our main competitor countries, Australia offers students who graduate from certain courses an opportunity to work after graduation,’’ the spokesperson said.

“The sector is a significant creator of jobs — growth in the sector means growth in revenue and jobs for Australia.’’