“It’s so frustrating!”—South Asian Immigrants’ experiences in the labour market.
On the day I had to give my presentation on my research topic, I was running late to school. With class starting in 15 minutes and knowing the bus takes an hour to reach to campus, I did what every “millennial” does and ordered an Uber. The driver asked me what I’m studying at the university. “Sociology,” I answered. He nodded and told me he is from the Philippines and that pursuing a degree in Sociology was not common there. He recently migrated to Canada and told me that he finished his college diploma in the Philippines and came here to look for better jobs in his field. However, at the moment, he is an Uber driver by day and works as a warehouse labourer by night.
This conversation, as I was on my way to present on downward mobility among immigrants, was not coincidental at all. In Mississauga, a city full of immigrants, you are bound to run into someone experiencing downward mobility as a result of immigration. If you are in your 20s and university-educated, downward mobility does not sound like a big deal or in the realm of possibilities. However, if you ask an older immigrant, you will uncover what a massive hardship it is to move to a new country and have to start again (so to speak). Many immigrants leave behind their families and spend a significant amount of money due to migration costs. They also take a risk on a new country that may or may not extend a warm welcome.
My research looked at the experiences of three South Asian immigrants from Mississauga, Brampton, and London, Ontario; Feroze, Deepika, and Hana. The main findings of the article are divided into three subsections: Credential recognition (or the lack thereof), social obligations, and low morale.
All of the participants claimed that there is a discrepancy between what Canada qualifies as credentials versus what the job market considers acceptable. This theme is also common in much of the previous research conducted on this topic. Participants described how even though they have more-than-adequate education, what was really in demand in the job market was Canadian experience. Having Canadian job market experience is more important to the older participants—Feroze and Deepika. Whereas, Hana voiced the same underemployment woes that plague many young new-grads today. The Canadian job market experience didn’t matter as much for her since she completed her education in Canada, which qualifies as automatic experience.
Deepika immigrated to Canada from Sri Lanka to start a new life as a married adult and built a family here, leaving her parents and friends behind. However, Feroze immigrated with his family but left his siblings and extended family behind in Pakistan. Despite their differences, both of them faced a difficult time coping with the individualistic and isolating life in cold Canada, as compared to the collectivist societies in South Asian countries. Deepika reminisced about how her house used to be full of guests, and Feroze talked about how he had left his education incomplete to take care of his siblings. Both of these experiences made immigration difficult for the individuals. Both participants further explained how significant it was to have friends living in Canada to help them settle in and cope. Hana did not experience this same hardship as she immigrated to Canada with her family as a young girl. Her family also had the support system of their extended family who were citizens of Canada.
Coping with poor labour market prospects and the isolating coldness of Canada takes a toll on self-esteem, morale, and mental health for the participants. While some immigrants, like Feroze, look toward entrepreneurship to carve out their place in the Canadian labour market, some mothers like Deepika have to juggle childcare on top of jobseeking. Deepika had to perform what Arlie Hochschild coined the “double-shift.” In South Asian culture, the fathers are the primary breadwinners whereas the mother is responsible for domestic duties. If the mother decides to work in paid labour, she is still expected to keep up with caretaking duties. Deepika also describes crying due to feelings of helplessness and loneliness. Feroze started to appreciate his entrepreneurial skills after his brief stint as a courier, where he worked for small pay while putting in hard work, as many immigrants do. Hana is looking to become a social worker, but despite enrollment in a social work program and the Canadian credentials to prove it, she is still facing a hard time. In her experience, she claims the defeminizing of the social work profession could be a reason why finding employment in her field as proven challenging. According to Hana, being a woman of colour makes it more difficult to get into social work. However, all participants are continuing to persevere.
To summarize my research, the following quote from Deepika proves helpful: “I would like to work hard. I don’t want to be lazy. I’m not that kind of person, but give me a job. I don’t know dear; it’s so frustrating.”
Ayesha Tak was born in Karachi and grew up in Canada. She is in her fourth year doing her specialist in Sociology at UTM. She plans to continue her studies and hopes her research makes a positive impact one day.