English-speaking immigrants among top CEOs of Australia

A study has found that your place of birth could determine your success in Australia. The Faculty of Business and Economics at Macquarie University published a report on Australia’s 2011 census data. The report said that the Australian workforce was extremely diverse. But that was not the case when you consider the top positions in the country.

English-speaking immigrants from countries like the US, the UK, Canada, and South Africa were among Australia’s top CEOs and MDs. India, Philippines, China, and Vietnam had little representation at the top positions.

People born in Australia still account for 70% of all the CEOs and MDs in Australia. In comparison, 8.1% of all top bosses in Australia were born in England. English people make up almost 4.9% of the Australian workforce.

Countries with known high proficiency in English like Holland and Germany also had significant representation among top positions.

Most Asian countries had lesser representation at the top, unlike Japan and South Korea. This could possibly be because Australia allows foreigners to set up businesses in the country.

Migrants from English-speaking countries made up 16.7% of all Australian CEOs and MDs and 10.2% of the Australian workforce. On the other hand, non-English speaking countries made up 13.2% of the top positions and 16.8% of the total workforce.

Among second-generation immigrants, those of Lebanese and Greek heritage had a higher representation in senior positions.

A new study follows data published by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2018. It found that people from European backgrounds made up 97% of the CEOs and 95% of the executives in Australia.

The study also found that the representation of women in senior positions was pretty low in Australia. Out of 50,000 CEOs and MDs in Australia, only 19.3% were women, as per SBS News.

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