Newcomers face under-employment challenges: poll
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
TORONTO:
Almost half (49 per cent) of newcomers who have been in Canada for one year or less feel under-employed, according to a recent RBC poll. Even after six-to-ten years in Canada, a third (32 per cent) of newcomers continue to feel that their current job is at a lower skill level than they had, or would have had, in their country of origin, according to a poll conducted by RBC.
The poll revealed a majority of newcomers (52 per cent), measure success based on their career, which includes having a good paying job in their field of expertise.
Additionally, men (43 per cent) are much more likely than women (28 per cent) to believe that their current job is a step down from what they had, or would have had, in their home country.
contribution
“Once newcomers get past some of the career challenges they face when they move to Canada, they make a tremendous contribution to the country’s productivity and diversity,” said Camon Mak, director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. “Canada is built on immigration - new skills and resources continue to be key drivers of our country’s global success. It’s important that we help newcomers get settled quickly both into their new home and their new careers.”
Despite the importance of landing a dream job, only 42 per cent of immigrants indicated that they sought out information about career options in Canada before deciding to move. Twenty-nine per cent searched for information to determine whether there was a demand for their career experience; 24 per cent researched whether or not they would need to be re certified to meet Canadian standards.
However, while they may not have their “dream job”, only 12 per cent feel locked in a job that may not lead to their desired occupation. When polled, newcomers provided the following career advice: Be prepared to wait for your dream job Determine if you need to be retrained or meet certification requirements, find out if there is a demand for your skill set.
NEWCOMERS
While the majority (52 per cent) of newcomers define success as being based on their career, as they become more established (six-to-ten years) family (47 per cent) and health (30 per cent) become more important as definitions of success.
Less than a third (31 per cent) of respondents have a job in their chosen field and over one-third (36 per cent) have a current job that is at a lower level than what they previously had, or would have had, in their country of origin.
More than a third (39 per cent) say that lack of Canadian experience has impacted their career options in Canada, followed by lack of available jobs in their area of expertise (30 per cent) and language skill barriers (28 per cent).
If they found they were unable to find a job in their career field, the vast majority would consider returning to school (82 per cent), followed by adjusting their goals (75 per cent) or starting a business (73 per cent)
Improved health care for immigrants
Posted on Wednesday August 10, 2011
By Jasminee Sahoye
A health profile of immigrants in Ontario has shown that recent immigrants are less likely to report having a chronic medical condition, compared with the Canadian-born population in large part due to unfamiliarity with the health care system and the options available to them.
New and non-English-speaking immigrants are also less likely to receive screening for cervical and breast cancer than other English-speaking Canadian women.
As such, the Ontario government through enhanced health care options has provided solutions for these communities that include breast screening centres, family health teams and urgent care centres. For these communities, this means improved access to primary care providers and alternatives to emergency room care.
A release states that there are 300 family health teams comprising health care practitioners ranging from nurse practitioners to dietitians to family doctors that provide collaborative and integrated care through one point of access.
With the expanded breast screening centres, there are 155 clinics that provide women 50 plus with mammograms without a referral from a doctor to help early detection of breast cancer.
There are also 101community health centres that provide immigrants and ethnic communities with health services in different languages to better help them access primary care and navigate the health care system.
While family physicians and ER doctors continue to play an invaluable role in the healthcare system, other practitioners such nurses have taken on larger roles in delivering primary care, the release said. “It’s important for these communities to understand their health care options and make the right choice based on their individual needs.”
Immigration practitioners blast Conservative Party
In a recent statement, leading immigration lawyers, practitioners and academics refuted the arguments of the Conservative Government that their policies have been favourable to New Canadians. They noted that the Conservative Party has been telling visible minority immigrant communities, which it calls the "ethnic vote", that it is improving the immigration system.
A review of their record shows the contrary, according to the immigration practitioners.
For example:
-Since the Conservative Party took power, the total time for processing sponsorship applications and visa applications for parents and grandparents has increased dramatically. Meanwhile, the number granted visas annually has dropped by 44 per cent since 2006. This year only 11,500 visas will be issued in this category. New Canadians who hope to be reunited in Canada with their parents or grandparents, or who have any empathy for families that want to be reunited, should vote for another party.
-The backlog of skilled worker applicants waiting for a decision has gone up from 487,000 in 2005 to 508,000.
-What is actually being done to process any type of application remains a guessing game for many applicants.
-The Conservative Party has cut settlement funding for immigrants and refused to fund many well-established groups, often because of political considerations.
-The Conservatives claim they will get tough on human smugglers, but the law they intend to pass mainly punishes refugees. Even women and children will be imprisoned for a minimum of one year under this law.
-The Conservative Party claims to be sympathetic to refugees who do not flee their countries illegally, but just announced plans to cancel the only program allowing Canada to protect refugees applying from within their country.
-The Conservative Party plans to make marriage sponsorships conditional on a two-year waiting period. Canadians and their spouses will be subjected to more uncertainty and delay. Spouses in abusive relationships will be trapped in them.
-The Conservative Party has continually stirred up anti-immigrant sentiment to justify its policies, even without a majority.
