Source: AMES
Employment services tailored to the specific barriers and strengths of particular cohorts of jobseekers can improve outcomes for individuals and the community as a whole, a new study has found.
An analysis of the refugee-focused ‘Workforce Australia Settling into Work’ (WA SiW) initiative, delivered by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, found the initiative is “effective at supporting refugees integrate into their communities and the Australian workforce.
Carried out by independent consultants Right Lane, the analysis found WA SiW delivers better outcomes than comparator programs. It found 1500 participants had found employment between July 2025 and June 2026.
“The program delivered more than $260 million in economic and social value over 40 months, or the equivalent of $79 million a year and $102,000 in economic value per participant,” the Right Lane report said.
The majority of the value generated was through employment outcomes (91 per cent) with health and wellbeing outcomes contributing a further 7 per cent of the total value created.
“WA SiW is an innovative program that has been successful in supporting participants to achieve their economic and social ambitions,” the report said.
“The program’s success is underpinned by its holistic, person-centred and strengths-based approach to supporting participants,” it said.
The WA SiW program is an innovative program supporting refugees to integrate into the Australian community, with a focus on helping participants find sustainable and fulfilling employment.
The program provides wrap-around support for refugees to achieve meaningful economic and social participation in Australia and is informed by AMES Australia’s long history of sector leading practice in humanitarian settlement.
It is tailored to the unique needs of refugees, helping to overcome complex barriers through a broad range of services, including employment, education, psychological and financial aid.
The program is delivered through an individual-oriented and strengths-based approach to support strong relationships with employers and communities and a highly skilled, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) workforce of employment mentors.
AMES SiW client ‘Harsimran’ said the customised, personal support she received from her AMES employment mentor made a difference in her life.
Recently arrived from India and as a domestic violence survivor and single mother Harsimran faced big challenges in finding work.
"At first I was struggling. As a single parent and new to the country, it was very difficult. And at that time, my English is also not good," she said.
Harsimran had no real qualifications and only a high school education, no family support and was renting a single room in a Melbourne share house with her teenage son.
AMES helped her get a driving licence, English lessons and an interest-free loan from NGO Good Shepherd to buy a car.
AMES also helped her find a job as a cleaner which, thanks to her strong work ethic, progressed to a production role.
"AMES helped me in so many ways. They helped me by finding me a job and slowly, slowly my life is going good," she said.
The Right Lane report comes after the federal government announced the creation of a new employment service that will be delivered across three distinct streams aimed at being more flexible to the needs and barriers of jobseekers.
Announcing the new service, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth said that under the current employment service system, too many people are falling through cracks and there is a need for better outcomes.
AMES Australia CEO Melinda Collinson welcomed the federal government’s plans.
“The federal government’s plans to create a more flexible, nuanced employment service is an opportunity to improve employment outcomes for cohorts of jobseekers with high barriers to workforce participation.
“We also recognise the value of employment programs that are community based, culturally sensitive and tailored to the needs, barriers and aspirations of particular groups or communities.
“We deliver employment services as a specialist refugee and CALD provider and as an indigenous employment provider. So, we have seen how specialist services, embedded in the mainstream service, can improve employment outcomes.
“We also welcome the announcement of a lived experience advisory body. It’s important that employment programs are informed by people who have walked the jobseeker journey.
“We think there also needs to be a focus on improving skills recognition for migrants and refugees trying to enter the labour market, and we welcome the government’s recent budget initiatives on this,” Ms Collinson said.