Occupational Mobility in Segmented Labour Markets: The Experience of Immigrant Workers in Melbourne

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey of a sample of Greek, Yugoslav and Vietnamese born persons who have worked in man ufacturing in Melbourne. Despite individual differences in training and experience before arriving in Australia and differences in their time of arrival, almost all the men and women first obtained jobs here as operators, labourers or drivers. There is evidence about the informal processes that channel migrants into such jobs. But once in these jobs, mobility is very low: about one half of the respondents evidenced no occupational mobility at all while for another one third their only career path was to exit the labour force. Some of the reasons for lack of mobility are examined. Thus, the initial allocation of immigrants into low skilled jobs in manufacturing is of long run significance for their careers rather than being a phenomenon of transition.