MORE than 90 per cent of surveyed refugees granted permanent visas under the previous Labor government had failed to find a job within three to six months, forcing the majority to rely on government welfare to survive, a new report has revealed.

Despite 80 per cent claiming to feel “welcomed by Australia”, the social difficulties they faced were immense, according to the first government study to follow the new wave of humanitarian ­migrants.

Almost half reported they had never had a job in their lives, and 15 per cent had never attended school in their birth country.

 

Almost 40 per cent reported not understanding or speaking English, with only 10 per cent having a university degree and just 6 per cent being qualified for a trade. Only 7.8 per cent had qualifications recognised in Australia.

As a result, only 6 per cent of all those followed in the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) report, to be released today by the Department of Social Services, had found a job.

The main source of income for 88 per cent of the refugees at the time of reporting was government payments.