Australia has one of the most educated migrant populations among OECD countries, with nearly six in ten migrants holding a university degree or higher. This contrasts with around four in ten native-born Australians. The educational gap between native-born Australians and migrants is the largest among the OECD countries.
Migration and regional development in Australia
Migrants are vital to Australia's population, contributing to economic growth and regional development. Many migrants in Australia are highly educated, holding at least a university degree, and are well integrated into the labour market. OECD analysis shows that migrants boost regional labour productivity, native employment growth, and regional innovation.
Key messages
In Australia, migrants -and particularly migrant women - experience lower employment rates than native-born Australians, despite higher levels of education. Male migrants, in contrast, have comparable or even higher employment rates than native-born males. While many factors related to institutions or culture can lead to the lower employment rates, addressing them is crucial for enhancing female employment and fully realising the labour market benefits of migration.
Migrants contribute positively to regional development in Australia. An increase in the migrant population in a region boosts regional labour productivity, native employment growth, and regional innovation.
Context
Migrants concentrate in large metropolitan regions
In Australia, migrants concentrate in cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney where migrants make up half of the population, and in the western parts of the country. Rural areas in the southeast have the fewest migrants - around 8% of the population. In Australia, like other OECD countries, migrants often choose cities for better jobs and closer community networks. In Australia, more than eight out of ten migrants live in metropolitan regions, compared to less than seven out of ten native-born Australians. This means only 18% of migrants live outside metropolitan regions, while 33% of native-born Australians do.
