Occupational Concentration and Mobility of Asian Immigrants in Australia

Fei Guo, Macquarie University
Nick Parr, Macquarie University

Using data from the 1996 and 2001 censuses in Australia, this paper investigates the occupational attainment of a number of Asian immigrant groups in Australia. It pays special attention to the patterns of occupation concentration and trends of occupation mobility over time. The Asian immigrant groups studied include Vietnam, Mainland China, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. The study provides comprehensive explanations of the extent to which country of origin explains the differences of Asian immigrants' occupational patterns, and of the extent to which this pattern is explained by other characteristics. This paper also draws linkages between immigrants' country of origin and various sectors and occupations in the Australian labour markets. In addition, this paper compares the Asian immigrants with locally born residents over time. The comparison provides explanations to such questions as to what extent that the act of migration per se has affected immigrants' labour market performance over time.