If you studied in Australia and now work in a job that uses only part of what you can do, you are far from alone. A federal study has put numbers on it, and one of the barriers it names is something you can act on: getting your experience recognised.
What the study found
Jobs and Skills Australia's International Students Pathways and Outcomes Study, released in September 2025 and widely discussed again in 2026, followed students who started in 2010–11 until the end of 2023. It covers the rules before the Migration Strategy, so read it as a look back rather than a prediction.
The results are sobering. More than half of international graduates with top-level qualifications were in lower-skilled jobs, compared with about 20 to 30 per cent of domestic graduates. International graduates who stayed were less likely to work in their field and earned less on average. Even so, many stayed for good: about 35 to 40 per cent gained permanent residency within 10 years, and more than half of identifiable university and VET graduates did within a decade.
Experience that does not show on paper
Among the barriers listed were limited practical Australian work experience and trouble having overseas experience recognised. Employer doubts about temporary visas, English proficiency and recruitment bias also featured.
Here is the part worth noticing. Many people build real skills in the jobs they take while studying or after graduating. Someone who has run a busy kitchen section, trained new staff or managed rosters has capability that often never appears on a certificate. When an employer or a skills assessment asks for a recognised qualification, that experience can be invisible.
VET graduates in the study were more likely than university graduates to find work in their field, a sign that practical, job-linked qualifications carry weight with Australian employers.
How Recognition of Prior Learning works
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) compares your evidence with the units of competency in a nationally recognised qualification. Evidence can include your work history, references, photos of your work, payslips, and any licences or tickets you hold. A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) assesses it and, if it meets the requirements, issues the qualification. Where there are gaps, you may need further training or assessment.
Where it may fit
Hospitality is a common example. If you have cooked professionally in Australia or overseas, the Certificate III in Commercial Cookery could match your experience. If you have supervised a kitchen, look at the Certificate IV in Kitchen Management, and if you have run a venue or a team, the Diploma of Hospitality Management may be worth checking.
A recognised qualification will not remove every barrier on its own, and it does not decide a visa or a job offer. But it can turn experience into evidence an employer or assessing authority understands. If you are thinking about a skilled visa, Home Affairs explains how skills assessments work.
The wider picture
Jobs and Skills Australia says graduates who stay could make a significant contribution to Australia's future workforce, and that better moves into skilled jobs are critical. With 295,000 international student commencements planned for 2026 and the same level for 2027, plenty of people will face the question you might be facing now.
Start with your evidence
Gather your references, payslips and examples of your work, then check which qualification matches what you actually do.
