Who is “essential”? Immigrants and Foreign Workers Overrepresented in Designated Jobs During COVID-19, Finds New Report

The pandemic has shed light on how immigrants and foreign workers are the backbone of the essential workforce that maintains the uninterrupted flow of goods and services during the crisis.

Now, for the first time, a new study has analyzed the data to back it up.

Based on personalized government data, the Conference Board of Canada examined the representation of immigrants and temporary foreign workers in sectors and occupations identified by Ottawa as “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although immigrants only make up 23.8 percent of the Canadian workforce, they are “overrepresented” in the main essential jobs: transit and passenger transportation (39.7 percent); food manufacturing (34.85 percent); administrative and support services (29.84%); transportation by truck (29.71%); nursing and residential care centers (29.21%); personal and laundry services (28.1%); and food services and restaurants (27.43 percent).

Temporary foreign workers are also a growing source of labor in the agricultural and food manufacturing subsectors.

Holders of work permits, who represent about 1.4 percent of the total workforce, are overrepresented in food services (3.4 percent); accommodation services (2.7%); professional and technical services and food manufacturing, both at 2 per cent.

“Immigrants and temporary residents are fundamental in essential sectors and occupations. That’s very clear, ”said study author Yilmaz Dinc, a senior research associate at the Conference Board who specializes in immigration.

“What The pandemic has shown, we don’t just need people with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. We also need people with manual skills. We need truckers, nursing assistants, and food manufacturing workers. It is important to create an immigration path for people with these skills to come to Canada as permanent residents. “

The data also revealed a chronic problem within the country’s immigration system that rewards higher education achievements and professional work experiences, but does not utilize those talents or match them with jobs commensurate with those qualifications.

The report found that overqualification is particularly common among newcomers who work as practical nurses, nurses, and patient services associates (45 percent); transport truck drivers (28 percent); and process control and machine operators in food and beverage processing (34 percent). Similar trends are observed for temporary residents in these occupations.

Among truckers, for example, more than 25 percent of immigrants and 16.8 percent of foreign workers in the occupation have a bachelor’s degree even though their role does not require it, an indication the study says skills and These knowledge workers’ skills have been underutilized.

The study said that immigrants who belong to the economic class, such as the federal skilled worker program, which often requires post-secondary education, make up a significant proportion of the immigrant workforce in essential subsectors.

In 2015, 45.7 percent of the 91,500 permanent residents who work in food manufacturing and 52.6 percent of the 89,000 permanent residents employed in nursing and residential care facilities came here as economic immigrants based on your skills and qualifications.

It’s not that migrants are drawn to essential jobs with low wages and little job mobility, Dinc said, but they have few options.

“These are tough jobs. Many of these sectors, time and again, face difficulties in attracting domestic labor. What happens is that these sectors turn to newcomers and temporary residents to fill these vacancies, ”he said.

“Them they are more readily available than some of the higher-paying, higher-quality jobs. And this is how the overrepresentation of immigrants and foreign workers becomes stronger and stronger ”.

To build an essential workforce that is stable and resistant to disruptions like a global pandemic, Dinc said lawmakers cannot simply rely on the importation of temporary foreign workers and over-skilled permanent residents, who would seek other opportunities as they arise.

Longer term, governments and employers must address the precarious conditions essential workers face by improving benefits and wages to recognize their contributions to the economy, not just during times of pandemic.

“Pathways to permanent residence must be created for these essential workers to fill essential job openings. On the other hand, there needs to be a new approach to compensation, career advancement and job mobility so that these jobs are attractive not only to immigrants but also to Canadians, ”said Dinc.

Earlier this year, Ottawa implemented a one-time special immigration program to grant permanent residency to 90,000 recent international graduates, as well as temporary foreign workers with work experience in essential occupations.

Dinc said immigration officials must modify their existing selection criteria to ensure regular permanent residence itineraries are available for migrants to fill essential jobs.

Nicholas Keung is a Toronto reporter covering immigration for The Star. Follow him on Twitter: @nkeung



Reference-www.thestar.com

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