BrownBag Summary - February 2008 - Outcomes for internationally trained women

Groups of women discuss provocative topics at locations in academia and industry throughout BC. The February 2008 topic was: What are the prospects and outcomes of internationally trained women in Canada?

By: Michelle LaHaye

February’s topic is an important one not only for women but Canada as a country since the number of foreigners who come here and work every year is large. In 2006 there were just over 250 thousand new permanent residents and of these, nearly 140 000 were economic immigrants: skilled workers, business immigrants, provincial/territorial nominees, and live-in caregivers [1]. In addition there were another 120 000 temporary residents whose primary purpose was to work [1]. These foreign trained professionals fill a significant need in the Canadian economy, making up for a labour shortfall, particularly in health care, information technology, and skilled trades [2]. However, according to Statistics Canada,

Very recent immigrants who have been in Canada five years or less, that is, who landed between 2001 and 2006, had the most difficulty integrating into the labour market, even though they were more likely than the Canadian-born population to have a university education. [3]

One of the problems is that these “Many doctors, lawyers and other professionals struggle to get recognition for their foreign credentials and are forced into unskilled jobs to survive” [2]. And according to the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, the three most significant impediments to finding work were a lack of Canadian work experience, lack of recognition of foreign credentials and language barriers [3].

Employees at the BC Hydro BrownBag lunch discussion added several details in regards to the issues mentioned above. They said that:

 It took more time to find a job than expected and
 It was hard to get past experience and education recognized.

Moreover, once they had secured a position, they felt that the first few months were spent just proving their credentials.

In light of these comments, the discussion at BC Hydro made several suggestions that could be applied to any workplace where foreigners are starting work.

 Provide explanations of the Canadian Tax, Benefits and Medical systems.
 Share information on the background of the new hire to the manager and team members.
 Make available resources on language specific to the job such as acronyms.
 Institute an effective mentoring system where the mentor or buddy is available and can answer the person’s questions.
 Make known what resources are available.
 Provide information on career paths.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does highlight some of the things that can be done to ease the transition for foreign trained women. Some of the other challenges faced are more subtle such as workplace cultural differences. For example, in North American high tech positions, there is a general acceptance that extra hours may be required for the job, but no where is this stated explicitly. Also, recognition or promotion is frequently up to the employee. In other cultures this may be the opposite, leading to a misunderstanding of the person’s happiness with their position.

The discussion at SFU examined the topic from the perspective of the reasoning behind a move to Canada, highlighting several factors that will influence the entire employment situation for these foreign trained women. Their reason for moving to Canada might not be economically motivated, but rather family related. Finding success in employment may come second to having or being united with family.

Another interesting point brought up by the group at SFU was that in computer science and engineering, there are proportionally more women in these areas internationally than there are in Canada. This means that the gender imbalance is less pronounced in grad school, for example.

Participants also felt that the expectation from Canadian employers was that a person have Canadian education or local work experience. Without either of these, it makes it very difficult to become established. And in particular, they said, Canadian employers do not give enough recognition to international education.

It is arguably far easier for a person with Canadian education or experience to find work, however, one can hope that as more foreign trained workers are integrated into the Canadian workforce, the more Canadians and immigrants will become knowledgeable about the credentials foreigners hold and will in turn be able to give the credit where it is due.

[1] Facts and Figures 2006: Immigration overview, Statistics Canada, http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/resources/statistics/facts2006/index.asp, June 2007

[2] Attracting skilled immigrants: The struggle to lure foreign trained workers, CBC News, http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/immigration/skilledimmigrants.html, Sept. 2004

[3] Canada’s immigrant labour market, The Daily, Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070910/d070910a.htm, Sept. 2007