Working Precariously: The impact of race and immigrant status on employment opportunities and outcomes in Canada (original) (raw)
Just labour, 2014
This paper examines the relationship between precarious employment, legal status, and racialization. We conceptualize legal status to include the intersections of immigration and citizenship. Using the PEPSO survey data we operationalize three categories of legal status: Canadian born, foreign-born citizens, and foreign-born non-citizens. First we examine whether the character of precarious work varies depending on legal status, and find that it does: Citizenship by birth or naturalization reduces employment precarity across most dimensions and indicators. Next, we ask how legal status intersects with racialization to shape precarious employment. We find that employment precarity is disproportionately high for racialized non-citizens. Becoming a citizen mitigates employment precarity. Time in Canada also reduces precarity, but not for non-citizens. Foreign birth and citizenship acquisition intersect with racialization unevenly: Canadian born racialized groups exhibit higher employment precarity than racialized foreign-born citizens. Our analysis underscores the importance of including legal status in intersectional analyses of social inequality.
Racism, Discrimination and Migrant Workers in Canada: Evidence from the Literature
2021
Canada is celebrated as a diverse, multicultural and inclusive nation, with many accolades to its name, and remains a destination of choice for many immigrants worldwide. It is described, similar to Australia and New Zealand, as a "settlement country," where settlement is an integral part of nation building and immigration an intrinsic component of the national heritage (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2015). 1 In short, despite some challenges, Canada is lauded as a successful immigrant nation, and perceived, in terms of its skilled migration system, as a "benchmark for other countries," as supported by its strong integration outcomes (OECD, 2019). While the literature points to "cracks" in the Canadian immigration model, including "skilled" migration, overall it is widely considered as a model to be emulated by other Western industrialized nationsa phenomenon otherwise known as Canadian "exceptionalism" in the context of multiculturalism and immigration policymaking (Triadafilopoulos, 2021). 2 When it comes to examining racism and discrimination within the Canadian immigration system as a whole, authors point to certain areas that need particular attention, one of which centers, as per the focus of this paper, on temporary migration. 3 Indeed, on the subject of migrant workers, the literature is somewhat more tentative as to Canada's successes. Accordingly, authors raise concerns that there are "two Canadas," one of which is constituted by fault lines within temporary migration and defined by "zones of exceptionalism" characterized by substandard labour and social protections as well as restrictions on workers' mobility. 4 For the majority of authors, "race," "class," "gender," or "geography" (that is, country of origin), but also "skill level" and "entry class" combine with wider historical, and current structures of discrimination to shape the experiences of migrant workers and their migration experience today. The primary objective of this review is to identify and analyze potential markers of racism and discrimination in immigration policy that impact migrant workers in Canada, most specifically those in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Caregiver Streams that are part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The review also examines the International Mobility Program, albeit from a more limited perspective, due to a still nascent, yet fast-growing, literature on the subject. 5 Overall, studies and reports mostly focus on substandard conditions of labour, lack of access, or restricted access, to social services and permanent residence pathways that are typically available to workers from higher-waged and higher-skilled categories. Indeed, most of the literature, including reports from non-profit organizations, and parliamentary committees refer to issues of "abuse and exploitation" in temporary migration programs, including in specific segments of the International Mobility Program. 1 People born outside of Canada constitute approximately one-fifth of the Canadian population, one of the highest ratios in Western industrialized countries (Cheatham, Council on Foreign Relations, 2020). 2 See, as an example, Cheatham (2020) and Ugland (2018) writing on three Scandinavian countries seeking to "borrow from" Canada's immigration policies. See Reitz (2012) and Triadafilopoulos (2021) who point to flaws when it comes to depicting the Canadian immigration system as a "model." 3 In light of the growing numbers of temporary migrant workers, Hari and Liew describe "temporariness" as a "new norm" of Canadian immigration (Hari and Liew, 2018). 4 The issue of worker's mobility is tied to the employer-specific worker permit (see Section 3). 5 The Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program constitute the two main arms of the temporary migrant programs in Canada. Advocates, like academics, point to the lack of information pertaining to the program compared to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (Lynch & Aceytuno, 2021). They note, in addition to other issues, that the employerspecific permit represents a source of precariousness in both programs. project. I cannot thank him enough for all the qualities of precision, acuteness and kindness, and his infinite patience, which was instrumental in bringing this research piece to fruition. Mike has gone through various iterations of this paper, edited it, and made so many insightful comments on how to best equip the reader, and the text, with an anti-racism lens as it applies to policies and programs impacting migrant workers' lives, work, and broader experiences in Canada. Mike places research in its multi-dimensionality, and this richness of approach strengthens the anti-racism lens and the subtleties and nuances that describe it. Many hours were spent on reading drafts with exceptional detailed attention and always with so much composure, humility and humour. ACRONYMS CCR: Canadian Council for Refugees CPR: Canadian Pacific Railway The space for this report was, in large part, created as a result of the words above, and the initiative of a few members of the Research and Evaluation Branch. 9 "Race" is used in quotation marks throughout the text to highlight its socially constructed nature (see Section 1).
Ghosts and Shadows: A History of Racism in Canada
A history of racism reinforces discrimination and exploitation of racialized immigrants in general and African-Canadians in particular. My paper contends that historically institutionalized structures are the ideological fulcrum from which ongoing socio-economic inequalities derive and retain their legitimacy. Specifically, I argue that the historically institutionalized system of slavery and ensuing systemic structures of racial discrimination negatively influence the incorporation of racialized immigrants into the Canadian labour market. A historically racially segmented labour market continues to uphold colour coded social and economic hierarchies. Although Canada's point system ensures that immigrants are primarily selected on the basis of their skills and qualifications, many professionally trained and experienced racialized immigrants endure perpetual socio-economic constraints, characterized primarily by low-end, precarious forms of employment. While not intended to serve as an exhaustive chronology, this essay draws on three historical periods of Black migration and experience in Canada: the first spans early sixteenth to the end of the eighteenth-century, the second dates from the nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, and the third extends from mid-twentieth century to the present. The following historical timeline traces the prevalence and enduring nature of systemic structures and substantiates Abigail suggestion that both "racism and a culture of hegemonic whiteness were and remain endemic to the Canadian state" (p. 6).
This paper examines the relationship between precarious employment, legal status, and racialization. We conceptualize legal status to include the intersections of immigration and citizenship. Using the PEPSO survey data we operationalize three categories of legal status: Canadian born, foreign-born citizens, and foreign-born non-citizens. First we examine whether the character of precarious work varies depending on legal status, and find that it does: Citizenship by birth or naturalization reduces employment precarity across most dimensions and indicators. Next, we ask how legal status intersects with racialization to shape precarious employment. We find that employment precarity is disproportionately high for racialized non-citizens. Becoming a citizen mitigates employment precarity. Time in Canada also reduces precarity, but not for non-citizens. Foreign birth and citizenship acquisition intersect with racialization unevenly: Canadian born racialized groups exhibit higher employme...
IMISCOE Research Series
Immigrants and refugees have contributed significant growth in the Canadian economy over the last three decades. Despite clear advantages of a smooth transition into the labour force, many newcomers experience multiple barriers impeding their pathways to sustainable livelihoods. Further, significant increases in refugee resettlement and asylum claims in Canada since 2015 resulted in a growing number of refugee newcomers entering the labour market, often facing additional challenges of precarious legal status while seeking employment. To interrogate the settlement landscape, this chapter examines newcomers’ employment-related needs, experiences, and aspirations through a case study of migrants and refugees in Greater Toronto. Using narrative-biographic interviews, the chapter presents an ethnographic approach to examine how individual migrants navigate labour market policies and settlement dynamics during their initial years. A biographical approach allowed us to focus on the interpl...
Socioeconomic Disparities Among Racialized Immigrants in Canada
Springer, 2023
Canada's economic development is built through waves of migrants and immigrant labor. The Canadian labor market, however, is characterized by discriminatory divisions rooted in its history of racism. Discrimination is prejudgment and unjust treatment of individuals and groups based on socially constructed identity markers such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, and immigration status. It is the exclusion of individuals or groups from full participation in the society. This chapter focuses on two dimensions of disparity among racialized immigrants in the Canadian society: economic disparity and social disparity. This chapter begins with an introduction of immigration to Canada. The third section further substantiates the theoretical construct through an extent review of literature on socioeconomic disparities among racialized immigrants in the Canadian labour market, followed by conclusion and recommendations.
SSRN, 2022
The migration of humans from one place to the other is a direct result of globalization. Globalization has resulted in permeable boundaries with a repercussion of a highly mobile labor force. Many European and American countries are popular points of destination among other Asian and African countries. Canada's multicultural environment and Express Entry Program attract many immigrants seeking employment opportunities. Often than not, research has indicated that instead of equality and advancement, black immigrants are often underpaid and face few opportunities for advancement. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perception of skilled Black immigrants' on how perceived inequality and workplace diversity in Canada could be managed. Johnson's polarity management, as adapted in Benet's Polarity of Democracy (POD), was the theoretical framework of analysis. Narrative inquiry elicited information through in-depth interviews of 10 purposively sampled Black immigrant participants who spent a minimum of five years in the workplace. Interview data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis software. The findings identified a perceived need for a paradigm shift from understanding diversity as a standalone concept to seeing workplace polarity as a better place to balance diversity/equality. This will address the ubiquitous challenge of paradoxes in diversity outcomes and have a positive implication for increased diversity in policy formulation and implementation.
2017
This research project examines systemic forms of racism that limit the employment chances of racialized workers in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) labour market. Through a situated analysis of racialized workers, institutional actors, and public policies, I explore the nuances of racialized individuals’ encounters with discriminatory hiring practices and job promotion procedures that exist in the labour market. Through the perspectives of racialized workers’ lived experiences, and by bringing into question the employment practices of hiring managers and human resource personnel, this project addresses the following key questions: 1) How do racialized workers negotiate their movement through places of employment in the Toronto CMA? 2) How might we understand the operation of racism in hiring practices and what are the mechanisms under which it remains institutionally entrenched? This research critiques the organizational cultures of private companies that are configured as...
International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 2016
The paper discusses the effect of political paradigm on the path of career development and the predicament of employment outcomes among racialized migrants in Canada. The study highlights challenge of retraining, skills development and access to Canadian work experience that meets neo-labor market demands. The study also examines how neoliberals’ interventions in market place, elimination of social services, and employment support programs have deterred labor force integration of the racialized migrants’ job seekers. In this Grounded Theory study (GT), participants have shared their experiences and challenges they have encountered form own perspectives. They shared stories about difficulties of finding suitable training and employment support programs within the current neo-liberalized labor market in Canada. The outcomes suggested that the rise of neoliberalism as noted in policies of social and employment services cuts, coupled with employment standard Acts reforms (ESA), have giv...