Migrants own one-third of small businesses in Australia and contribute significantly to the economy through job creation, taxes and entrepreneurial skills, according to a CGU-commissioned report.

About one-third of migrant business owners plan to hire additional staff, adding to the 1.4 million workers currently on their payrolls.

“Migrant business owners are bringing skills, intellectual capital and an entrepreneurial spirit with them that contributes to and enriches Australia’s ‘can-do’ culture,” the report says.

Their businesses are commonly found in property and business services, retail and hospitality, and community services and education sectors.

The CGU report is based on a commissioned study involving 921 online surveys last August.