Hedayat Osyan who started his social enterprise CommUnity Construction almost seven years ago, aims to support refugees arriving in Australia with limited English language skills.

“English is the biggest barrier for us. If a refugee cannot speak good English, many doors are automatically closed. Also, many refugees have come from underdeveloped countries, and they are very traumatised," he says.

“When refugees come to Australia, their qualifications are often not recognised, so they have to start from scratch. This is a safe space where they can flourish, where they feel they belong, and so they can contribute to society and also support their families.”

Only 6 per cent of refugees find work within six months of arriving in the country, according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies. That number rises to nearly 25 per cent after two years.

A recent three-year study titled Bridging the Gap between Intention and Action surveyed 35 Australian employers. It found that many Australian businesses are keen to hire refugees and asylum seekers, but most do not act.

Despite available incentives and support from third parties, the report revealed even well-intentioned employers get stuck when it comes to actually hiring refugees.

That's where social enterprises step in.

“CommUnity Construction offers training, employment and also mentoring to help refugees and asylum seekers to integrate and also settle well in Australia,” Osyan says.

The business is one of 518 social enterprises across Australia certified by Social Traders, Australia’s leading social enterprise procurement intermediary.

Social Traders says social enterprises "exist to create a fairer and more sustainable world." They must do three things - have a defined purpose consistent with a public or community benefit; make a substantial proportion of their income through trade; and invest efforts and resources into their purpose so that the public or community benefit outweighs any private benefit.

And the sector is growing rapidly, according to Social Traders' Pace23 report.

“More than 110 certified social enterprises have been established since 2020,” CEO Tara Anderson says. “Employee numbers are up by 6 per cent, trading revenue is up by 32 per cent, and this is translating into more impact."

In its recently released Employment White Paper, the federal government committed to back social enterprises as part of a $200 million investment announced in the May budget.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth says this will help tackle entrenched disadvantage and boost employment opportunities for many experiencing disadvantage, including refugees and asylum seekers.

"We are backing social enterprises through our Targeting Entrenched Disadvantage agenda," Rishworth says. "It is about partnering with people and social enterprises who best know those experiencing disadvantage, so we can back in the policies and programs that work,"

It’s a move welcomed by Social Traders. However, Anderson says more can still be done.

"We are calling on the federal government to create a national social procurement framework that prioritises social enterprises in business and government supply chains. The social benefit to society is enormous and government has a key role to play in unlocking that."

She says the 518 social enterprises certified by Social Traders spend around $690 million annually on delivering social and environmental benefits.

"They generated a total of $2.25 billion in annual revenue and play an instrumental role in providing jobs for some of Australia’s most marginalised groups, employing 31,429 people, including 14,013 people usually shut out of work."

This is an excerpt of the full story as seen on SBS News: How Hedayat found work for dozens of people | SBS News

You can also listen to Hedayat's podcast interview: Hedayat is a refugee entrepreneur who hires others like himself. It’s a growing trend | SBS News