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Australia’s migrant workers are underpaid, report says

By Hailey Wight

Sep 25, 2026

Two-thirds of migrant workers in Australia were paid less than they were legally owed, according to the Migrant Justice Institute’s Off the Books report.

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The national survey of almost 10,000 temporary migrant workers found widespread underpayment across some of Australia’s biggest industries, with exploitation taking multiple different forms.

But the way workers experienced exploitation varied significantly between industries.

In cafes and restaurants, half of migrant workers surveyed were not paid the national minimum wage, despite many working nights and weekends where penalty rates applied.

In commercial cleaning, 40 per cent worked as an ‘independent contractor’ on an ABN, many likely misclassified.

While in horticulture, one in three workers were paid some or all of their wages in cash.

In aged care, two-thirds of migrant workers were underpaid despite 96 per cent receiving payslips.

The Migrant Justice Institute said the findings showed unlawful underpayment was not an isolated problem, but part of a broader system of migrant worker exploitation.

“A decade of reform has not shifted the basic fact that unlawful underpayment is the norm, not the exception,” the report said.