Promoting workplace inclusion and self-efficacy among skilled migrant workers in Australia

What is it about?

Although skilled migrants have a high capacity for integration, many report experiences of exclusion which impacts their ability to contribute fully to the host country. This experience of exclusion is especially acute for culturally and linguistically diverse migrants when functioning in a new or exclusionary environment, especially those with diminished self-efficacy. We explore how a sense of inclusion may be related to self-efficacy, critical for goal attainment for migrants functioning in a foreign environment. Based on a survey of 210 skilled migrants to Australia, we find that a sense of inclusion in the workplace is related to migrant worker self-efficacy. We also find that meaningful exchanges with supervisors, a sense of belonging at work, and workgroup cohesion (being accepted by co-workers) are more important than getting involved in organizational social activities as determinants of perceived inclusion. Our findings highlight the role of organizations and employers as critical partners in ensuring skilled migrant career success in the host country.

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