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In May, the Migrant Justice Institute released a report revealing that Australia has a systemic, economy‑wide architecture of migrant worker exploitation, with nearly two-thirds of migrant employees being underpaid.
Based on 9,963 migrant workers surveyed in 2024 across six languages:
- 65% paid below legal entitlements
- 36% paid below the national minimum wage
- 25% underpaid by $10+ per hour
- Average underpayment: $8.80/hour
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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
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