Employment Challenges From the Eyes of Newcomers in Canada

Rahel Gettu is a results-oriented and highly focused professional with over 15 years of international work experience in the United Nations, skilled in program design and implementation, project management, research and global health. “I’m passionate about communities and the power of partnership to empower communities.” Rahel arrived in Canada last year with her three-year-old son. 

To obtain employment in my desired field in Canada, I have pursued many avenues trying to demonstrate that I possess Canadian experience. One of these avenues has been volunteering, which landed me the golden opportunity of working with Impakt Foundation, a great team and organization that serves newcomers and refugees. This opportunity granted me the privilege to participate in a research project that is aimed at uncovering key challenges that newcomers face as they navigate their professional pathways in Canada.

As part of the research team, I had the opportunity to engage with highly skilled and seasoned professionals looking for employment in Canada. The research team collected data through focus group discussions with newcomers and refugees looking for employment. The professions of the research participants included physicians, engineers, and political scientists, and all have demonstrated ample work experience in their respective areas of profession before coming to Canada.

This article presents my personal reflections and some of my revelations from the many interactions I had as part of this data collection exercise. These interactions enriched my understanding of the Canadian job market, challenged my thinking, and, most importantly, helped to reshape my thought on the ‘Canadian Dream’ as a newcomer, an internationally trained professional, and a visibly black job-seeker.

Almost all the participants I engaged with unequivocally expressed their desires to continue working in their professional areas of expertise in Canada. Nevertheless, although they are highly skilled and experienced, finding employment opportunities that match their skillset and experience is nearly impossible in their chosen field. Hence, they experience underemployment and/or unemployment.

Lack of recognition of their foreign credentials and work experience, racism, language barriers, lack of Canadian work experience, networking, and cultural differences coupled with a lack of information were mentioned as factors that affect newcomers’ professional pathways as they navigate the Canadian job market.

The reflections by one of the participants on “Canadian experience” was particularly disturbing, and it rang a bell for my own awakening. “I don’t know where it is written as a law for employers to request Canadian experience! It’s understandable to verify foreign qualifications and foreign credentials but requesting to have a Canadian work experience to do the exact same work you have been doing back home is laughable and discriminatory for newcomers”. This immigrant has ample experience abroad at international organizations and is well versed with the Canadian culture, however none of these experiences were relevant, as employers discount foreign work experience or assign it less weight than their Canadian work experience.

This was a shocking and disturbing revelation, as it conflicts with the aspirations of my Canadian dream as a racialized woman professional. Coming to Canada with a wealth of international experience in the United Nations and a dual Masters in Business Leadership and Public Health, I feel that I am highly skilled and qualified for the Canadian job market. However, the realities of newcomers and the challenges they face are disturbing. Disregarding ones’ entire experience and the wealth of international expertise they bring into Canada is very unfortunate, for a loss of words. Refugees and newcomers bring in a wealth of international experience and unique expertise which could benefit Canadian employers. Hence, my challenge to Canadian employers: Why not consider hiring newcomers and opening your business to new opportunities and perspectives?