Key findings include:
● 77% were paid below the minimum casual hourly wage.
● 32% of Bachelor’s degree students earned just half the minimum casual hourly wage or less ($12/hr or less).
● 26% of all international students earned half the minimum casual hourly wage or less — a figure unchanged since the 2016 National Temporary Migrant Work Survey.
● The overwhelming majority of students who were underpaid knew the minimum wage (86%), but 62% believed they were at fault for the underpayment and had broken the law by accepting below minimum wages.
The report recommends improved labour enforcement and visa protections for international students, as well as improved service provision to address exploitation. Funded by StudyNSW, the Information for Impact Survey was conducted in April and May 2019, and yielded 5,064 valid responses.