Workplace integration: The lived experiences of highly skilled migrants in Australia

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore how highly skilled migrants to Australia integrate into the workplace, focussing on the factors that foster or hinder that integration. Design/methodology/approach - An inductive method using an interpretive methodological approach was employed. In-depth interview data were analysed thematically. Findings - Informal workplace practices, such as informal peer mentoring and having an "empathetic" supervisor, also assisted with integration, as did migrant self-help strategies. Factors hindering integration included structural barriers outside the organisation and workplace factors such as racism, cultural barriers and individual factors that cen..