Let’s face it Canada is a young country and currently with the COVID-19 crisis the future of the economy seems uncertain. Our population now compared to our geographical size and even other large countries is not that large really. We have lots of land to build on and tons of natural resources still. But what about the people that make up our society? How many of us are native to the land for generations and how many of us come from parents or grandparents that have immigrated here from another country?
Did you know that new immigrants actually help stimulate the economy because these are people and new families that come here, eager and willing to work hard and are highly motivated to build a better life. They want better lives and futures for their kids, so in turn that means that they want to live in better communities.
If we stop and think for a moment we would quickly realize that if we didn’t have immigration, we may have an insufficient workforce in the very near future. Did you know that only 28.6% of our population are the children of the baby boomers (between 22-42 years of age)?
According to census stats, by 2031, all baby boomers will have reached 65, and the proportion of seniors could reach 23%, compared to 15% in 2011. That basically translates to a likely increase in taxes and reduced social services. It’s obvious that we will need an increase in the working population.
So let’s shed some light on the main issue facing new immigrants. A 2018 CBC article talks about the vicious circle that newcomers to Canada often get stuck in. Despite one’s education or experience in his/her country, new immigrants often come across a major barrier when looking for employment: potential employers turn them down due to their lack of Canadian experience.
Question: how is a new immigrant supposed to get Canadian work experience if employers are not willing to hire them in the first place?
It takes courage to leave your family and friends behind and move to a new country in hopes of a better life. Many arrive here hopeful that in a country like Canada they will have opportunities and despite what hardships or challenges they have faced in their home country, they are driven and motivated by the dream of building a new and successful future here.
Afterall, we Canadians have earned a reputation of being a welcoming people.
We say we value diversity, acceptance and we pride ourselves in being a multicultural nation. But when it comes to employing our newcomers, do we live up to our values and our reputation?
Well… let’s see: stats show that it may take anywhere from six to 12 years on average for a Canadian newcomer to earn back the quality of life they left behind. I know it sounds like an exaggeration but unfortunately that’s the reality for too many newcomers.
You see, although a person coming from another country might have the right skills for that specific job they applied to, they may have some difficulties with the language, or maybe they just need some training to get up to speed to the Canadian standards or certification.
Some do get hired yes, but often these folks are overworked and underpaid-especially in the trades sector. This resonates deeply with why Just Working Construction Inc. became a company focused on encouraging newcomers to get into the trades, offering training and better opportunities, as well as fair wages and dignity for them and their families to accomplish their goals.
Sure, there are public services that provides immigrants and refugees with language classes, housing and employment supports, among other services, as they integrate into Canada…but in a nut shell- there absolutely needs to be a lot more than just a handful of employers willing to hire new immigrants.
If you are a potential employer would you be willing to see the value of investing some time and money to ensure you hire a number of new immigrants on your team?
If you are a newcomer to Canada, please feel free to share with us your experience. We want to know how the employment process has been for you, and definitely tell us if you’ve been able to find opportunities in the trades/construction sector.