Timorese migrant workers who return home after temporarily working in Australia face significant difficulties in finding suitable long-term employment and maintaining their wellbeing, a new report has found.
Since Timor-Leste began participating in Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme in 2012, nearly 9,000 Timorese have come to Australia as temporary migrant labourers, with a current total of 4,680 workers presently employed in the country.
Led by from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, the research investigated the experiences of over 700 migrant workers, with the resulting report offering a detailed analysis of the challenges encountered by Timorese workers after employment in Australia and South Korea.
“While Timorese workers contribute significantly to the economies of host countries such as Australia and South Korea, their successful reintegration into Timor-Leste remains a challenge,” says Professor Saikia.
“Without targeted support, many returnees will continue to find it difficult to translate their overseas experience into long-term wellbeing.”
The report found less than half of all returnees were able to maintain a sense of wellbeing once home, while many struggled to reintegrate due to limited employment opportunities and underutilised skills acquired abroad.
“In Australia, nearly all Timorese workers are employed in the agricultural sector, but only 19 percent of those who successfully find employment upon their return continue working in this field in Timor-Leste,” says Professor Saikia.
“This mismatch means many workers are unable to translate their newly acquired skills into sustainable employment once they return home.”
Returnees also reported a strong desire to migrate again, with 94 percent of participants in the Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and 79 percent in the Korean Employment Permit System expressing a preference to return overseas, citing better economic opportunities abroad.
Professor Saikia says the report highlights the need for a coordinated, strategic approach to labour migration policies, focusing on reintegration, skill recognition, and economic development in Timor-Leste.
“We recommend legal reforms to provide social security protections for returnees and a comprehensive reintegration strategy, involving pre-departure and pre-return briefings, as well as financial literacy training and entrepreneurial support,” says Professor Saikia.
“Another major recommendation is the development of a formal accreditation system to recognize the skills acquired abroad, which would allow returnees to contribute more effectively to the Timorese economy.”
The report also emphasises the need for enhanced support systems for families of migrant workers, including mental health services and educational assistance, which are crucial for ensuring the wellbeing of migrant households, many of which face stress while their primary earners are abroad.
“Migrant workers play a significant part in Australia’s agricultural economy. Based on these research findings, the Timor-Leste government is now taking serious steps toward developing a holistic national policy for the reintegration of migrant workers,” says Professor Saikia.
Funded by the Australian Research Council, the report was supported by the Government of Timor-Leste (SEFOPE and Statistics), Australia’s Department of Affairs and Trade, United Nations Development Programme Timor-Leste, and Western Sydney University. Alongside Professor Saikia, the core members of the research team also included Professor Susanne Schech, Dr Melinda Dodd, and Iriana Freitas De Jesus Ximenes from Flinders University, along with Professor Andrew McWilliam from Western Sydney University.
The report was launched this week in Dili by the Secretary of State for Vocational Training and Employment, Government of Timor-Leste at an event attended by the Timorese Ambassador to Australia, Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and a representative of the Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste.
In her speech at the event, Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to Australia, Ines Almeida, praised Flinders University’s pivotal role in shaping evidence-based policies in Timor and emphasized the significance of the report’s findings by stating, “This is the first comprehensive report of its kind since we began our participation in labour mobility in 2012.”
