About 340,000 migrant women in Australia work below their skill level

Many migrant women in Australia work below their skill level because their overseas qualifications are not recognised.

Research by Settlement Services International found about 340,000 migrant women are affected, and migrant women are 20 per cent more likely than migrant men to be over-qualified for their jobs.

Farukh Tahery left Afghanistan in 2021 with four years of accounting experience, but struggled to find work in her field after moving to Australia.

She found a job with a fashion brand that trains refugee and migrant women, and is now studying accounting to try to return to the profession.

Consuelo Castillo came from Chile with teaching degrees and experience, but initially could find work only as an after-school care assistant.

The skills-recognition process can be costly, slow and complicated, leaving qualified women in lower-paid work with weaker long-term prospects.

Two organisations want a national commissioner to oversee the process for migrants and refugees.