Abstract

The Northern Territory of Australia has an ethnically diverse and highly mobile population—the latter reflected in a high workforce turnover. This paper reports on findings from the first-ever study of the demographic and economic characteristics of immigrant-born early childhood education and care workers in Darwin, in addition to their reasons for mobility. Motivations for this research include a lack of systematic knowledge about workers’ individual integration, lifetime mobility trajectories, experience in this diverse workplace, and lived practices of belonging in the Northern Territory. This research also emphasizes the greater professionalization in the early childhood education and care workforce. This study analyses official statistics and original interview data collected from a sample of immigrant-born early childhood education and care workers. The evidence reveals that, unlike some other workforces in the Northern Territory, they intend to remain and work long-term in this jurisdiction. This article examines the reasons behind these intentions, discusses approaches to maximize professional contribution to the care of young children, and suggests strategies that may assist in attracting more immigrant-born workers to this sector of the Northern Territory.