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In this paper, the authors propose a framework to highlight the interrelationships of different factors that affect inclusive work and economic security. The proposed approach recognises: (1) different lived experiences of the job market and forms of economic and social participation; (2) multiple levels of response to unemployment, underemployment and labour market disadvantage, ranging from small-scale programs to macroeconomic policy; and (3) the importance of both short and long-term perspectives on these issues. The framework provides an analytical and organising model for the Brotherhood of St Laurence's research, policy and service development work. By illuminating different levels and domains, the framework enables a focus on labour market disadvantage and economic insecurity whilst recognising broader systemic and structural influences on these issues.

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In the context of economic change and growing unemployment, there is increased interest in 'employer engagement' approaches to assisting disadvantaged jobseekers. There is also confusion about exactly what employer engagement means. This paper reports on an exploratory study of employer engagement and how it is understood from the perspectives of: employers; business and professional associations; and not-for-profit agencies that act as labour market intermediaries (LMIs) brokering the relationship between jobseekers and employers. The study considered employers' experience with 10 programs and examined five LMIs. Features that were shared by many of the programs include: small scale; short-term work placement, work experience or labour hire; mentoring, pre-employment and/or on the job; and targeted traineeships. This study provides some insight into the complexity of employer engagement approaches and raises the following questions: How can the successful experiences of employers and LMIs translate into positive, inclusive workplace approaches that can be implemented at a larger scale? How can training and employment pathways be made more relevant to employer and industry requirements? Would the wider adoption of special recruitment programs unintentionally reinforce discrimination by failing to challenge mainstream recruitment practices? To what extent do employers have a social obligation to provide employment opportunities for marginalised or excluded workers? How do these obligations differ across employer types, size, industries and labour conditions?

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Young people from refugee backgrounds often have disrupted education experiences that intersect with other forms of disadvantage, resulting in difficulties making life transitions (Beadle, 2014; Nunn et al., 2014). While specialised, learner-level support can be effective in assisting young refugees to maintain engagement (Lamb et al., 2018), the persistence of attainment issues are cause for a reassessment of the way outcomes are framed and programs are designed. This paper examines the participation of young people from refugee backgrounds in Australian education, focusing on the example of an educational reengagement program delivered in Melbourne, Victoria. Program participants work with specialist Pathways Counsellors to articulate their aspirations and engage in a range of activities that complement educational reengagement. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of intensive planning and maintaining service engagement, combined with activities that build young people's self-confidence, goal orientation and facilitate social interaction. We argue that appreciation of the ‘mess, non-linearity and lack of stability’ in young people’s lived experiences (Woodman, 2020) can reveal incremental, attainable outcomes for refugees who face complex educational disadvantages. As cyclical and sporadic public funding arrangements for social services make this flexibility difficult to achieve, we also suggest a focus at the provider level on combining multiple sources of community support and intervention.

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Australia is in the midst of a national conversation about population growth and immigration, with a focus on social cohesion and integration. At the same time, Australia's humanitarian program has shifted towards an emphasis on temporary protection, place-based resettlement and prioritising the economic contributions of refugees and people seeking asylum. Fast-growing urban fringe localities, with significant pressure on services and infrastructure, are often at the forefront of dealing with these challenges. We draw on 23 interviews with service providers, local government personnel, policymakers, employers and community-based organisations in the City of Hume. We asked them about their perspectives on policy and regulatory influences on the economic security of humanitarian entrants, and local responses to humanitarian settlement.

Our analysis considers local stakeholders' various understandings, roles, capacities and constraints in the context of federal policies and national debates. This report offers insights into how service providers, community groups and policy makers respond to increasingly diverse local populations, including newly arriving humanitarian migrants, to foster economic security and social inclusion. Rather than focusing solely on employment, we use a broader definition of 'economic security' that also embraces the economic and social protections that enable people to plan for the future (Bowman & van Kooy 2016).

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Given the Chance for Asylum Seekers is a Brotherhood of St Laurence employment program for asylum seekers with bridging visas living in Melbourne. Supported by a private philanthropist, the program aims to assist asylum seekers to get into (and stay in) the workforce. The program also works with employers to procure jobs and training opportunities, while advocating for changes to government policies. This paper summarises research and evaluation findings from the program's first phase (FY2013–16), including the main features of the program model, and an assessment of the particular employment issues and challenges facing asylum seekers in Australia. While Given the Chance facilitates labour market entry, institutional barriers to economic security remain. The program has assisted hundreds of asylum seekers to find their first jobs in Australia. However, advocacy efforts need to address the immigration policies and employer practices that prevent the wider population of bridging and temporary visa holders from achieving sustainable employment and economic security.

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Some jobseeker groups experience difficulty in securing employment due to perceived gaps in their employable skills, qualifications or experience. Others are effectively 'screened out' during recruitment processes on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, language, age or disability. Labour market participation for these groups is affected by the human resource practices of employers, as well as the nature of support they may receive to address perceived 'employability' gaps. In contrast, 'inclusive employment' can be defined as all efforts that promote fair and equitable access to decent employment, ensuring satisfactory pay and conditions, career prospects and opportunities for social integration. [This study investigates] the advantages and limitations of 'toolkits' for influencing more inclusive employment practices.

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The Stepping Stones to Small Business programme is a programme which provides business training, networking opportunities and mentoring for refugee women in Melbourne, Australia. The programme is appreciated by participants but has shown that 'entrepreneurship' is a problematic concept in the context of women from refugee backgrounds. Setting up a small business may be a decision made by refugee women out of necessity due to labour market barriers as much as out of ambition or 'entrepreneurship'. In this article, the author examines the push and pull factors which may influence the women to become entrepreneurs, and the elusiveness of commercial success.

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