African migrants struggle to find work without white referees, research suggests

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Job candidates from the African community are less likely to be considered for positions without white Australians giving them a reference, new research has indicated.

The study, by the University of South Australia, surveyed Adelaide residents of African background — including Cyriaque Nijenahagera, a refugee from Tanzania who has started a new life with his family in Adelaide.

Despite a degree in social work and a master’s degree in project management, he said he was “frustrated” to get overlooked for positions he was more than qualified for.

“I can’t remember how many resumes I sent,” said Mr Nijenahagera.

“When I … applied, I was working in community services and I could see there were many social worker positions available.”

For Adelaide woman Ma-Musu Nyande, stories like that of Mr Nijenahagera are all too familiar — and she has the personal experience to prove it.

Despite attending school in Adelaide from 2004 and then studying at Flinders University, she was often overlooked when applying for jobs, she said.

The experience impacted her mental health.

“I was exposed to microaggressions, gaslighting and subtle racism,” she said.

As an experiment, Ms Nyande resorted to applying for five jobs using a “westernised name”, and then compared the results to five cases where she used her own name.

“‘Vanessa Wood’ got three phone calls, where Ma-Musu Nyande didn’t get any phone calls,” she said.

“It was quite evident why I wasn’t getting calls back.”

Even on those occasions in which she got a foot in the door, her prospects did not improve, she said.

“An over-the-phone interview went well – but when I got there in person the receptionist was really shocked to see I’m a visibly African woman,” she said.

“She said to me, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were black’.”

Rather than being asked about her skills, qualifications and experiences, Ms Nyande said she was instead asked how long she had been in Australia.

Experiences like Ms Nyande’s and Mr Nijenahagera’s form the focus of the new University of South Australia research, which sought feedback from dozens of residents of African background.

While it found “significant variation in experiences”, several common themes stood out — including the sense that applicants’ prospects were improved by having white Australians as job referees.

“Knowing the right people was described by a number of participants in racialised terms,” the paper stated.

“Many of the participants mentioned the need for a white friend or connection.”

‘Make sure the hiring process is not biased’

Co-author Melanie Baak, a social researcher focusing on migrants and refugees, said the study was compiled with the help of African focus groups in 2019, at a time when there was negative coverage of African gangs in the national media.

“People spoke about getting behind-the-scenes roles but not necessarily professional roles that reflected their qualifications,” Dr Baak said.

She said many had experienced “everyday racism” that extended into their time spent job-seeking.

“Our participants spoke about having to need to know the right white people,” she said.

“They were strategically joining [football] clubs, community gardens and trying to build networks that will help them access employment.”

Mr Nijenahagera currently works as a disability support worker but is over-qualified for the job — and is now trying his luck at undertaking more study, in the hope of getting ahead.

Ms Nyande is now a cultural facilitator at the Australian Refugee Association, helping refugees during their own job application processes.

She said a multi-pronged approach, involving changed public perceptions and employer incentives, was the best solution to the sorts of roadblocks she had run up against.

“The media has done a poor job of how they portray African people,” she said.

“A lot of times they don’t focus on our achievements or contributions to society.

“Business needs to do a better job in the employment process and make sure the hiring process is not biased and make sure there’s no racial tendencies.”