A new report has found thousands of job ads in Australia’s top eight industries offered illegal pay rates.
The report, released by Unions NSW this week, found more than found more than 60 per cent of job advertisements reviewed offered illegal rates of pay.
More than 7000 ads written primarily in foreign languages were surveyed. More than 1000 migrant workers also shared their experiences when working or applying for work in Australia.
According to the survey, the highest percentage of jobs advertised below the minimum award wage were in retail at 84.5 per cent, followed by cleaning at 67 per cent, transport at 48 per cent, building and construction at 47.5 per cent per cent hospitality at 45.5 per cent, and hair and beauty at 42.5 per cent.
More than 60 per cent of job ads in Chinese were below the minimum award wage, as were almost half of Spanish ads and more than a quarter of Portuguese.
Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said it’s disturbing that employers were still targeting workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
“It’s alarming that employers unashamedly exploit and underpay vulnerable migrant workers, all while Australia experiences lagging migration rates and deals with claims of labour shortages.
“Our audit exposes this underbelly and demonstrates the need for the Commonwealth to bolster its efforts to stamp out bad employer behaviour while empowering workers to enforce their rights.
The survey also found that more than 40 per cent of student visa holders were paid or offered a lower salary because of their visa type.
One in five workers on employer sponsored visas were asked by their employers to pay for their sponsorship. The same number of workers also felt afraid to report underpayment or other workplace law breaches.
Unions NSW wants there to be a firewall between the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Department of Home Affairs so vulnerable workers are empowered to act against unscrupulous employers.
It also wants a new substantive visa to allow workers with outstanding claims for workplace entitlements to remain in the country with working rights until their claim has been settled.
Other visa restrictions that intensify exploitation should also be lifted, and all visa types should provide a clear and reliable pathway to permanent residency.
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