GTA immigrant workers at the bottom of company hierarchies: Immigrants nearly absent at the top of corporate ladder

BY MARCEL MARIAK

Canada is globally regarded as a place of cultural diversity and acceptance. We pride ourselves on being a place of equal opportunity where anyone, no matter their race or skin tone, can find success. Unfortunately recent studies have found that immigrants in the GTA are almost completely absent in executive corporate positions.

In the next decade, around 30% of the current workforce will be retiring. This means that the Canadian economy will face a severe shortage of workers. Despite this fact, among the biggest employers in the GTA, immigrants only make up 6% of executives.

In the past, immigrants faced the issue of unemployment. Now, they are facing a different menace: underemployment. Underemployment means that while immigrants have jobs, they are working in positions which are outside of their expertise, or jobs which they are overqualified for. In 2016, almost half of all immigrants that held a university degree worked in jobs that required a lower level of education. Because of government initiatives, getting a job is no longer as much of an issue for immigrants; instead, the problem has shifted to climbing the corporate ladder.

The leading cause of immigrant underemployment is that many employers do not recognize credentials and work experience that has been obtained overseas. There is a lengthy credential recognition process and immigrants who don’t have the finances to sustain themselves during the wait have to work a minimum income job in order to survive. This forces people to undergo a mid-career restart. To aggravate matters, recent studies have found that employers view three years of international work experience only as valuable as one year of experience in Canada. Furthermore, many employers require work experience in Canada as a job prerequisite. Although this practice has been defined as discriminatory by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, it’s still commonplace amongst GTA employers.

Even when an immigrant does get a job with opportunity for growth, they often experience hardships when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder. In a recent study conducted by Ryerson University, many immigrants and people of visible ethnic minorities felt the presence of a “glass ceiling” which prevented them from growing in their workplace. One of the main causes of this glass ceiling is discriminatory bias among company leaders. Immigrants are often overlooked during promotions, with leaders favouring candidates which are more “traditional” and belong to the cultural majority.

This economic discrepancy must be addressed if the economy is to survive, and Canada is to continue being a land of opportunity for all. The most urgent action to take is streamlining the credential and experience recognition process. The process for recognizing the credentials of immigrants is important, and should be thorough; but it cannot be so lengthy as to force people into minimum wage survival jobs in order to sustain themselves. The second thing to focus on should be diversity and leadership training. Diversity training to help current leaders embrace different cultures and become more open minded when choosing potential leaders, and leadership training to provide people that are not currently being considered for promotion to come forward and demonstrate or grow their leadership skills.

Creating a work environment that is open to growth is not only in the interest of immigrants; it is in the best interest of all Canadians. Greater growth in jobs helps the economy thrive, increasing the quality of life for all. Companies should continue to be selective with who they trust in leadership positions. Responsible people must be chosen to take control of businesses and supervise others. The process for selecting corporate leaders should not be lenient or lousy; but it should reflect the multiculturalism of Canadian society. It should recognize that education and experience obtained internationally can be just as valuable as education and experience gained in Canada, and it should provide an equal opportunity for people from all walks of life to advance in their jobs, regardless of skin colour or race.

Sources:

• Aimee McArthur-Gupta et al., “Can’t Go it Alone: Immigration Is Key to Canada’s Growth Strategy,” Conference Board of Canada, (2019)
• Yssaad and Fields, “The Canadian Immigrant Labour Market: Recent Trends from 2006 to 2017.”
• Mihaela Dinca-Panaitescu et al. “Rebalancing the Opportunity Equation,” United Way Greater Toronto, (2019)
• San Grewal, “Brain Drain II: Immigrants let glass ceiling gather dust,” Toronto Star, (2007)
• Krishna Pendakur and Simon Woodcock, “Glass Ceilings or Glass Doors? Wage Disparity Within and Between Firms,” Journal of Business & Economic Statistics 28, no. 1 (2010)
• Krishna Pendakur and Simon Woodcock, “Glass Ceilings or Glass Doors? Wage Disparity Within and Between Firms,” Journal of Business & Economic Statistics 28, no. 1 (2010)
• Naomi Alboim et al., “The Discounting of Immigrants’ Skills in Canada: Evidence and Policy Recommendations,” IRPP Choices 11, no. 2, (2005)
• Yilmaz Dinc, “Immigrant careers should match their skill level,” Toronto Star, (2019)