Mandatory English Language Testing for Skilled Migration to Australia

Transcription

1 Mandatory English Language Testing for Skilled Migration to Australia Lesleyanne Hawthorne Australia-Canada Round Table on Foreign Qualification Recognition Public Policy Forum Melbourne April

2 Employment Barriers for Skilled Migrants in the Knowledge Economy: The Research Evidence 1. English/ effective communication skills in a lean workforce without backroom jobs 2. Credential recognition 3. Technological fit (eg engineering, medicine, nursing) 4. Ancillary professional knowledge: Management style Industrial relations/union issues Occupational health and safety Duty of care (etc) 5. Interview style (type and location of information) 6. Supply and demand in the Australian workforce ( niche economies) Source: Labour Market Barriers for Immigrant Engineers in Australia, L Hawthorne, Australian Government Publishing Service, 1994

3 The Research Evidence on Poor English in Australia: 3 Decades 1980s: 1990s: Inferior employment rates and work status: Achieved by non-english speaking background (NESB) migrants in Australia (despite higher qualifications) Recessions: Particularly vulnerable in terms of employment Poor English language competence: Doubles or triples male unemployment; double it for females Key unemployment predictors: English language ability, birthplace, period of residence in Australia, and the country in which formal qualifications had been gained Credential recognition: Greatly reduced by poor English Poor English = An awesome and devastating barrier at every stage of the employment life cycle in Australia As education level increases: The labour market position of immigrants vis a vis the Australian-born systematically deteriorates (etc!)

4 English Language Training Model: Federal: Policy/ funding/ Subnational: Delivery Adult Migrant English Program (1947+): 1980s: Skilled migrant learner pathways Cost: General English x4 English for Nurses (1) English for Nurses (2) Competency-based bridging course for nurses (x 3 months) registration Electrical linesman: Italy By : 50,000 clients per year, 193 countries, 250 locations, 510 hours per client or functional English Focus: English and labour market programs Reach: 90% of refugees, 55% of family migrants, 41% of skilled migrants By mid 1990s: Over $200 million per year DEEWR: Bridging programs with English English/ vocational exam preparation (2011): 15 fields - architects, dentists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists etc)

5 Evolution of Mandatory English Language Testing: Economic Category Migrants and Mandatory for Registration in Select Fields - National Health professions: Post-war years: Purple prose and Shakespeare s sonnets 1989 Occupational English Test (OET) 13 fields Field-specific face validity Twice per year Global administration Teaching (1990s): Invisibility : Eclectic processes Other professions/ trades: Self report until 1993 Case study: Yugoslav mechanical engineer 1993 Broader range of economic occupations (100+) 1996 Universal English testing (economic category) Tests: Access test IELTS (monopoly) broader tests?

6 Case Study 1: Impact of Occupational English Test on Migrant Nurse and Physician Registration Migrant nurses: 67% fail overseas 41% fail in Australia Migrant doctors: Around 40% of candidates fail or are significantly delayed in proceeding to pre-registration assessments Latest data?

7 Impact of Occupational English Test on Migrant Doctors and Nurses Registration by Select Birthplace in Australia: 6 Years of Data (Hawthorne & Toth 1996) Candidates in Australia (%) Pass Rate (All %) Total No. Doctors India China Former USSR Egypt Philippines Nurses Philippines Hong Kong India Former Yugos Fiji

8 Number of OET Attempts Required - Medical Candidates (Hawthorne & Toth 1996) Number of Attempts Pass (% of all candidates) Fail (% of all candidates) Total Candidates n or more Total

9 The Impact of OET Testing on Medical Candidates: Gender ( Data: Hawthorne & Toth 1996) Candidates Pass % Average No. Attempts In Australia % Overseas % Total No. Male candidates Female candidates All candidates

10 Case Study 2: General Skilled Migrants (All Fields) Impact of mandatory English language testing: No reduction in demand for economic migration growth! No reduction in source country diversity Selection = identical source countries but migrants with far better English

11 Early Impact of Australia s Selection Changes - % of Skilled Migrants Employed 6 Months Post-Arrival by Select Country ( Compared to 1999/2000) Birthplace of Skill Principal Applicants Employment Within 6 Months ( Arrivals) Employment Within 6 Months ( Arrivals) UK/Ireland 85% 86% South Africa 76% 89% North West Europe 73% 83% Philippines 57% 76% India 56% 73% HK/Malaysia/Singapore 53% 68% China 45% 61% M East/ N Africa 42% 72% N, SE & C Asia 40% 77% Eastern Europe 31% 79% Source: Labour Market Outcomes for Migrant Professionals: Canada and Australia Compared, L Hawthorne, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2007

12 Economic Migration Source Countries (Permanent Versus Temporary) to Permanent (government) selection: 8/10 = Asia ESB countries = 17% India (21%), China (18%), UK (14%), Malaysia (6%), Indonesia (4%), Sri Lanka (3%), Republic of Korea (3%), South Africa (3%), Hong Kong SAR (3%), Singapore (3%) Temporary (employer) selection 2004/05 to 2008/09: 5/10 = English-speaking background countries (42%), 2/10 = OECD European countries (5%) = 47% UK (22%), India (13%), South Africa (8%), Philippines (7%), China (6%), USA (6%), Ireland (3%), Canada (3%), Germany (3%), France (2%)

13 Case Study 3: International Students and English Language Testing 1999+: Removal of 3 year eligibility and professional experience requirement for international students Applications on-shore (at point of course completion) Win-win boost to Australia s export education industry Assumed attraction to employers: Local qualifications, experience, good English, acculturated, prime workforce age Exempted from English language testing gain maximum points as condition of university entry Source: Review of the Independent and Skilled-Australian Linked Categories, Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Canberra (1999)

14 International Student Response to Skill Migration Opportunity in Australia by ,000 15,000 Other occupations 12,000 9,000 Tradespersons 6,000 Professionals 3,000 0 Offshore Managers Onshore

15 International Student Employment and Wage 6 Months (2006) Former students = 83% employed but! Annual salaries - around $33,000 (compared to $52,500 for offshore arrivals); Average weekly earnings - $641 (compared to $1,015); Lower job satisfaction - 44 per cent like their work (compared to 57 per cent) Far less often use of formal qualifications in current work - 46 per cent compared to 63 per cent Source: B Birrell, L Hawthorne & S Richardson (2006), Evaluation of the General Skilled Migration Categories, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra

16 English Scores of Former International Students After Completing Australian Degrees When Applying for Economic Migration Source Country ESL Points: 15 (IELTS 5) ESL Points: 15 (IELTS 5) ESL Points: 20 (IELTS 6) ESL Points: 20 (IELTS 6) Total Tested Total Tested China 43% 43% 56% 57% 2,655 4,209 India 5% 17% 94% 82% 2,433 2,169 Indonesia 16% 32% 84% 68% 1, Malaysia 16% 24% 84% 76% 1, Hong Kong 17% 43% 83% 57% South Korea 23% 56% 76% 44% Singapore 10% 18% 90% 82% Bangladesh 23% 42% 77% 58% Sri Lanka 10% 25% 90% 75% Japan 18% 37% 82% 63% Taiwan 24% 47% 76% 53% Pakistan 9% 25% 90% 75% Thailand 29% 51% 70% 49% Vietnam 36% 33% 64% 67%

17 Impact of English Level on Employment of Economic Migrants 6 Months Post-Arrival (2006) 90% 89% 86% English Only or Best English Very Well 80% 76% English Well English Not Well 70% 60% 59% 50% 40% 30% 27% 18% 20% 7% 9% 10% 4% 4% 6% 12% 0% Employed Unemployed Not in Labour Force

18 Employment Protection of Australian Qualifications by Select Birthplace Group (6 Months Post-Migration) Onshore vs Offshore Skilled Migrants Country/ Region ESB Europe India N Africa/ Middle East Other Asia China Visa Status Employed Unemployed NILF Onshore Offshore Onshore Offshore Onshore Offshore Onshore Offshore Onshore Offshore Onshore Offshore Source: Derived from LSIA 3 database (DIAC); for full data see Key Factors Influencing the English Language Proficiency, Workplace Readiness and Employment Outcomes of International Students, S Arkoudis, L Hawthorne, C Baik, G Hawthorne, K O Loughlin, E Bexley & D Leach, Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations, Canberra, 2009, 160pp

19 BUT: English Language Requirements Information Technology International education and migration trends: Second main source of skill migrants in recent times Half of international students applying through two-step migration (3,589) after 2 year degrees IT = a third of skill migration visas issued in and 22% in Employability: Vigorous competition for IS (eg regional universities such as CQU: Melbourne and Sydney campuses); multiple forms of ESL accepted Franchising, lack of underlying cognate degrees Mountain of anecdotal evidence : IS are struggling to meet course requirements, in a context where universities cope by lowering the English standards in the courses they teach accomplished by focusing requirements on problems which do not require essay writing skills, or by setting group assignments in which students with better English help out (Birrell 2006) Australian Computer Society (2006): Calls for negative migration points for IT applicants unable to corroborate their possession of adequate employment skills; case for IELTS : Higher unemployment levels than the norm, below average labour market participation rates, wage impacts

20 English Language Demand by Field - Engineering Employability: Past decade s history: Abolition of back-room jobs High-level English and communication: Mandatory for professional employment You do not get your foot in the door if you do not clearly speak English IELTS: Lifted by Engineers Australia to IELTS 6, including for engineering technicians 2006 economic migration review: Persistent NESB employment disadvantage even in WA (Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, South Asia)

21 English Requirements - the Trades? Year Professions Trades and Vocational Occupations 1999 (June) IT, Accountancy, Physiotherapist, Registered Nurse, Sonographer Boilermaker, Machinist, Pastry Cook, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic, Welder 2002 (October) 2007 (August) IT, Accountant, Hospital Pharmacist, Retail Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Registered Nurse, Midwife, Mental Health Nurse, Sonographer, Radiation Therapist Accountant, Anaesthetist, Architect, Chemical Engineer, Civil Engineer, Computing Professional - specialising in CISSP, C++/C#/C, Java, J2EE, Network Security/Firewall/Internet Security, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, SIEBEL, Sybase SQL Server; Dental Specialist, Dentist, Dermatologist, Electrical Engineer, Emergency Medicine Specialist, External Auditor, General Medical Practitioner, Hospital Pharmacist, Mechanical Engineer, Medical Diagnostic Radiographer, Mining Engineer (excluding Petroleum), Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Occupational Therapist, Ophthalmologist, Paediatrician, Pathologist, Petroleum Engineer, Physiotherapist, Podiatrist, Psychiatrist, Quantity Surveyor, Radiologist, Registered Mental Health Nurse, Registered Midwife, Registered Nurse, Retail Pharmacist, Specialist Medical Practitioners (not elsewhere classified), Specialist Physician, Speech Pathologist, Sonographer, Surgeon, Surveyor Hairdresser, Cook, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics), Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical), Automotive Electrician, Baker, Boat Builder and Repairer, Bricklayer, Cabinetmaker, Carpenter, Carpenter and Joiner, Chef, Cook, Drainer, Electrical Powerline Tradesperson, Electrician (Special Class), Electronic Equipment Tradesperson, Fibrous Plasterer, Fitter, Floor Finisher, Furniture Finisher, Furniture Upholsterer, Gasfitter, General Electrician, General Plumber, Hairdresser, Joiner, Lift Mechanic, Locksmith, Mechanical Services and Air-conditioning Plumber, Metal Fabricator (Boilermaker), Metal Machinist (First Class), Motor Mechanic, Optical Mechanic, Painter and Decorator, Panel Beater, Pastry Cook, Pressure Welder, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Mechanic, Roof Plumber, Roof Slater and Tiler, Solid Plasterer, Sheetmetal Worker (First Class, Stonemason, Toolmaker, Vehicle Body Maker, Vehicle Painter, Wall and Floor Tiler, Welder (First Class)

22 DEEWR Study 2009: What Australian Employers Want in the Knowledge Economy (Interview Data) Fields: Accounting, IT, Engineering, Medicine, Nursing Hospitality, hairdressing, building Key issues: The total package (backroom jobs vanishing) The right technical skills Impact of supply-demand on tolerance (eg Deloitte and accounting: IELTS 8) English ability (minimal access to concurrent support/ additional training) Soft skills - cross-cultural adaptability, capacity to fit in

23 Recent Response to the Research Findings English level matters enormously: Policy 6 months: Migrants who speak English very well (or native speakers) 3.6 times more likely to be employed than poor 18 months: Migrants who speak English very well (or native speakers) 4 times more likely to be employed than poor speakers IELTS 7 or above mandatory all health professions/ extended to include temporary arrivals September 2007 IELTS 6 = threshold economic migration score/ major points for IELTS 7 or above Introduction of post-study professional year (secure IELTS 7?) Accountants only eligible for economic migration if IELTS 7 or completion of professional year (over-supplied field) July No points for IELTS 6 (hurdle requirement) Major points for IELTS 8 (20) and 7 (10)

24 Remaining Issues 1. Uniformity of requirements temporary skilled migrants: 21 days to approve a professional 457 visa tightening up (baseline requirements) 2. Strategy: For migrants transitioning to two-step migration 3. Use to avoid over-supply by field? Minister s attempt in accounting (2010) 4. State economic migration plans 2011+: Reduce or inflate requirements? 5. Future competition: Eg New Zealand s skilled migration program 46% = English speaking background countries 88% selected on-shore with NZ job or job offer