Temporary migrants comprise approximately 11% of the Australian workforce and are systemically underpaid across a range of industries. The most vulnerable of these workers (including international students and backpackers) rarely successfully recover unpaid wages and entitlements. In 2015, media...

The National Temporary Migrant Work Survey is the most comprehensive study of wage theft and working conditions among international students, backpackers and other temporary migrants in Australia. The survey draws on responses from 4,322 temporary migrants across 107 nationalities of every...

Nepal’s citizens engage in foreign employment at the highest per capita rate of any other country in Asia, and their remittances account for 25 percent of the country’s GDP. The Middle East is now the most popular destination for Nepalis -- nearly 700,000 were working in the Middle East in...

Wage theft is endemic among temporary migrants in Australia, including international students who are entitled to work up to 40 hours per fortnight on their student visa. This report responds to the need for empirical data on international students’ responses to underpayment and other problems...

Wage Theft in Silence presents findings from the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey -- the most comprehensive study of working conditions and access to justice among international students, backpackers and other temporary migrants in Australia. It draws on responses from 4,322 temporary...

In 2018, there were a record 548,000 international students at universities, vocational colleges, English colleges and schools in Australia -- nearly double the number in 2013. Sydney (and other major Australian cities) has very limited dedicated student accommodation on campus or within...

Multinational businesses are facing mounting pressure to identify and address risks of exploitation, trafficking and modern slavery in their supply chains. Digital worker reporting tools present unprecedented opportunities for lead firms to reach out directly to hard-to-reach workers for...

In 2019, the authors conducted a landmark survey of more than 5,000 international students in Australia. The Information for Impact survey sought to gather information on exploitative conduct encountered by international students in housing and at work, and identify effective responses including...

Systemic wage theft has long been part of the labour migration landscape in every region of the world. Though every jurisdiction has judicial and/or administrative mechanisms to address wage claims, employers in every country can be confident that very few unpaid migrant workers will ever use...