6250.0 - Characteristics of Recent Migrants, Australia, Nov 2013 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/06/2014   
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HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Household income is an important indicator of people's material standard of living because income, along with wealth, can be used to support consumption of goods and services, such as food, clothing, housing and leisure activities. Respondents were asked about the sources of their household income to gauge how strongly their material standard of living is connected to their employment outcomes.

Most recent migrants (83%) reported wages and salary as their main source of household income, whereas 11% said Australian or overseas government pensions or allowances were their main source of household income. A similar percentage (82%) of temporary residents reported wages and salary as their main source of household income, but temporary residents were less likely than recent migrants to report Australian or overseas government pensions or allowances as their main source of household income (5.2%). These data should be considered in the context of the eligibility criteria related to these pensions and allowances. (Table 10)

Most recent migrants (89%) who had arrived to live in Australia on a Skilled visa reported wages or salaries as the main source of household income, whereas 59% of migrants who had arrived on a Humanitarian visa said Australian or overseas government pensions or allowances were their main source of household income. (Table 10)