Only one in 20 newly-resettled refugees finds a job after six months, a report has found.

The Building a New Life in Australia research project was set up in 2013 with the aim of following the experiences of 2,400 refugees in the five years following their arrival in Australia.

It comes as the Federal Government continues its preparations for the arrival of 12,000 Syrian asylum seekers.

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said the results showed resettling people in Australia was not an easy process.

"It is very difficult job and that's why how you identify and how you select people and bring them into the country, you've got to do that in a way which gives people who you're trying to help the best opportunity of success in Australia," he said.

Some findings from Building a New Life in Australia study 80 per cent reported feeling welcome in Australia 'always' or 'most of the time'

80 per cent reported feeling welcome in Australia 'always' or 'most of the time' 15 per cent have never attended school in their lives

15 per cent have never attended school in their lives Over a third had completed high school, a trade or university

Over a third had completed high school, a trade or university Many participants report significant levels of psychological distress indicating possible mental health problems

Many participants report significant levels of psychological distress indicating possible mental health problems Main source of income for 88 per cent was on government payments followed by a wage or salary at 6.8 per cent and family income at 1.3 per cent

Main source of income for 88 per cent was on government payments followed by a wage or salary at 6.8 per cent and family income at 1.3 per cent Only 6 per cent had secured jobs at the time of interview

Only 6 per cent had secured jobs at the time of interview Males and those with better English proficiency were more likely to be employed

It is hoped the study will provide a wealth of data on how resettlement programs should be targeted.

The statistics released today only relate to their experiences within the first six months of their arrival.

It found that most spoke little or no English and almost half had never held a paying job before.

Only 10 per cent held a university degree and 6 per cent had a trade or technical skill.

Many suffered psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder and close to 40 per cent said their health was fair or worse.

For about 90 per cent of those studied, their main source of income was welfare payments.

Just 6 per cent had managed to find a job — mainly those able to speak English.

Associate Professor Daryl Higgins, who helped conduct the research for the Institute of Family Studies, said that the results were only to be expected.

"I don't know why we would expect anything other than there would be a process and a period of adjusting to a new country where you may not know the language, you may not know the typical cultural ways of doing things, you may not understand the service system, the schooling system etc," he said.

"So there is going to be a significant period of settling in and understanding how things are done and how to access supports, and over time we will start to see things shift."

Associate Professor Daryl Higgins said this first wave of data shows that a significant proportion were engaging in study as well as work.

"So we know that that is going to be an important thing to track through is the degree to which that study can be maintained and that that can lead to positive outcomes for those individuals and families as they progress through the settlement journey," he said.