Federal election 2016: reality at odds with Dutton ‘no sense’ jobs claim

Peter Dutton’s claim that refugees may take the jobs of Australians has been rebuffed by experts and migrant groups.

Peter Dutton’s claim refugees may take the jobs of Australians has been rebuffed by experts and migrant groups, with statistics showing that poor ­English skills hinder the employment prospects of new arrivals.

The Immigration Minister sparked a political furore yesterday by saying that increasing the humanitarian intake of refugees to 50,000, as proposed by the Greens, would see them taking Australian jobs or languishing on unemployment benefits. He also said many refugees were illiterate and innumerate in their own languages, adding to the challenge of finding work.

According to a 2011 report by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, as many migrants coming to Australia under the ­humanitarian program could speak English well or very well as those who could not speak English well or at all. About 14 per cent of people could not read or write in English and about 10 per cent could not speak English.

The report also found that close to 75 per cent of humanitarian ­entrants arrived with education levels equivalent to high school or lower, and just over 17.3 per cent arrived with “no education”.

A more recent study being ­undertaken by the Department of Social Services cites many factors contributing to “disadvantage and vulnerability” among new arrivals, including the fact 23 per cent of ­females and 17 per cent of males are illiterate in their own language. The low skill levels translate to poor employment outcomes.

After four years living in Australia, just 40 per cent of humanitarian entrants have a job of some type, with 85 per cent of households receiving some Centrelink payment. Only about 24 per cent were working for a wage or salary.

The idea of refugees “taking Australian jobs” was widely dismissed yesterday, Australian National University demographer James Raymer saying it made “no sense”.

Peter Hughes, a former deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration, said: “If we took that attitude we would not have taken the 800,000 (refugees) we have taken since the Second World War that we have felt very proud of,” he said.