2025/07/11 by Melanie Baak, Michelle Baddeley, James Lino Lejukole +4 · 2 voices
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Labor market dynamics and wage inequality #Migration and Labor Dynamics #Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy
paper · doi:10.1177/00221856251356641
openalex publication_date 2025/07/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/02
Africa-born migrants in Australia, particularly those who are racialised Black, face significant challenges in securing employment that aligns with their qualifications and experience, leading to higher rates of unemployment and underemployment compared to other population groups. This study explores the employment-seeking experiences of Black Africa-born migrants in South Australia, focusing on how coloniality – understood as the enduring power dynamics established during colonialism – shapes recruitment and selection processes. Drawing on focus group data from 32 participants, we examine how coloniality manifests through the devaluation of qualifications, racialized assumptions, and systemic barriers in the labour market. We argue that these processes reinforce a coloniality of employment selection, where Black Africa-born migrants are marginalised and relegated to lower-status roles. This research bridges macro-theorizing on coloniality with the micro-level experiences of job seekers, highlighting the need for coloniality-cognizant approaches to address these inequities in employment practices. The study contributes to a growing body of work that seeks to expose and challenge the ongoing reproduction of colonial power structures in contemporary labour markets.