Half of all migrant workers in Australia feel unsafe at work, experiencing discrimination, bullying and verbal abuse, while 58% experienced wage theft, reports The Guardian, citing research from the Migrant Workers Centre. The Centre surveyed more than 1,000 workers in Australia about their experiences in the job market and migration system and found many migrants experienced discrimination in job application processes because of their visa status, despite having work rights.

The survey found that job insecurity was strongly correlated with feeling unsafe in the workplace, with 59% of workers in precarious employment feeling always or often unsafe at work. Of those who experienced wage theft, 26% were able to recoup their stolen wages. Wage-theft practices included paying low rates cash-in-hand, not paying penalty rates for weekend or after-hours work, and illegal unpaid ‘trial’ shifts.

Matt Kunkel, chief executive of the Migrant Workers’ Centre, said the report showed that temporary visas were a workplace-safety issue. “Urgent action is required to reform our system. Improving job safety and security for migrant workers will create a fairer job market for everyone.”