Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Safe Employment Integration of Recent Immigrants and Refugees

  • Published:
Journal of International Migration and Integration Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the employment preparation and work experiences of recent immigrants and refugees in Ontario, Canada, to determine key resource needs and opportunities related to safe work integration. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 service providers, program developers, and policy-makers from the immigration and employment fields. Eighteen focus groups were held with 110 recent immigrants and refugees who were looking for work or who had recently found work. An exploratory qualitative approach was used to collect and analyze the data. First jobs were often characterized by precarity and poor working conditions. Most recent immigrants and refugees had little knowledge about their rights at work and were not sure what to do when mistreated or were asked to do something unsafe at work. The settlement and employment programs that included occupational health and safety information were not systematic and were hindered by a lack of consistent funding and diffusion of responsibility. We identify optimal points in the settlement process where information can be provided, and some of the roles that can be played most effectively by service agencies, regulatory bodies, and employers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. FG, focus group; GTA, Greater Toronto Area

References

  • Ahonen, E. Q., Benavides, F. G., & Benach, J. (2007). Immigrant populations, work and health—a systematic literature review. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 33, 96–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronsson, G., & Göransson, S. (1999). Permanent employment but not in a preferred occupation: Psychological and medical aspects, research implications. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 4(2), 152, 163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee, R., & Phan, M. (2014). Licensing requirements and occupational mobility among highly skilled new immigrants in Canada. Relations industrielles/industrial relations, 69(2), 290–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benavides, F. G., Benach, J., Muntaner, C., Delclos, G. L., Catot, N., & Amable, M. (2006). Associations between temporary employment and occupational injury: what are the mechanisms? Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(6), 416–421. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2005.022301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buzdugan, R., & Halli, S. S. (2009). Labor market experiences of Canadian immigrants with focus on foreign education and experience. International Migration Review, 43(2), 366–386.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caidi, N., & Allard, D. (2005). Social inclusion of newcomers to Canada: an information problem? Library & Information Science Research, 27(3), 302–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C., Smith, P., & Mustard, C. (2010). The prevalence of over-qualification and its association with health status among occupationally active new immigrants to Canada. Ethnicity and Health, 15(6), 601–619.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creese, G. (2006). Government restructuring and settlement agencies in Vancouver: bringing advocacy back in. In C. Milligan & D. Conradson (Eds.), Landscapes of Voluntarism: New Spaces of Health, Welfare and Governance (pp. 191–208). Policy Press: Bristol

  • Creese, G., & Wiebe, B. (2012). ‘Survival employment’: gender and deskilling among African immigrants in Canada. International Migration, 50(5), 56–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cukier, W., Jeffery, K., Yap, M., McDonald, L., & Lejasisaks, L. (2010). Are current employment services meeting the needs of immigrants? A recent look. Canadian Social Work Journal, 12(1), 161–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eakin, L. (2001). An overview of the funding of Canada’s nonprofit sector. Ottawa: Voluntary Sector Initiative Secretariat, September.

    Google Scholar 

  • Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety. (2010). Report and recommendations to the Minister of Labour. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Labour.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer, A., Green, D. A., & Riddell, W. C. (2006). The effect of literacy on immigrant earnings. Journal of Human Resources, 41(2), 380–410.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, K. (2013). Immigrant employment success in Canada: examining the rate of obtaining a job match. International Migration Review, 47(1), 76–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, U., & Chaze, F. (2009). “Tell me what I need to know”: South Asian women, social capital and settlement. Journal of International Migration and Integration/Revue de l’integration et de la migration internationale, 10(3), 265–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, U., Chaze, F., Brennenstuhl, S., & Fuller-Thomson, E. (2012). “Looking for work but nothing seems to work”: the job search strategies of internationally trained engineers in Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 13(3), 303–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gravel, S., Rhéaume, J., & Legendre, G. (2011). Strategies to develop and maintain occupational health and safety measures in small businesses employing immigrant workers in metropolitan Montreal. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 4(2), 164–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoppe, A. (2011). Psychosocial working conditions and well-being among immigrant and German low-wage workers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16(2), 187, 201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2017). #WelcomeRefugees: Key Figures. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/welcome-syrian-refugees/key-figures.html. Accessed Jan 2018.

  • Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2018a). Canada - admissions of permanent residents by province/territory and Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of intended destination. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f7e5498e-0ad8-4417-85c9-9b8aff9b9eda. Accessed January 2018.

  • Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2018b). Welcome to Canada Guide.

  • Kazi, M. R., Ferdous, M., Rumana, N., Vaska, M., & Turin, T. C. (2018). Injury among the immigrant population in Canada: exploring the research landscape through a systematic scoping review. International Health. 11(3), 203–214.

  • Kosny, A., & Lifshen, M. (2012). A national scan of employment standards, occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation resources for new immigrants to Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 103(1), 53–58.

  • Kosny, A., MacEachen, E., Lifshen, M., Smith, P., Jafri, G. J., Neilson, C., Pugliese, D., & Shields, J. (2012). Delicate dances: immigrant workers’ experiences of injury reporting and claim filing. Ethnicity and Health, 17(3), 267–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2011.614327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosny, A., Santos, I., & Reid, A. (2017). Employment in a “Land of Opportunity?” immigrants’ experiences of racism and discrimination in the Australian workplace. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 18(2), 483–497.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krahn, H., Derwing, T., Mulder, M., & Wilkinson, L. (2000). Educated and underemployed: refugee integration into the Canadian labour market. Journal of International Migration and Integration/Revue de l'integration et de la migration internationale, 1(1), 59–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamba, N. K., & Krahn, H. (2003). Social capital and refugee resettlement: the social networks of refugees in Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration/Revue de l’integration et de la migration internationale, 4(3), 335–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRochelle-Côté, S., & Hango, D. W. (2016). Overqualification, skills and job satisfaction. Insights on Canadian Society Catalogue. Statistics Canada: 75-006-X. 

  • Lay, A. M., Kosny, A., Aery, A., Flecker, K., & Smith, P. M. (2018). The occupational health and safety vulnerability of recent immigrants accessing settlement services. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 109(3), 303–311.

  • MacEachen, E., Saunders, R., Lippel, K., Kosny, A., Mansfield, L., & Carrasco, C. (2014). Understanding the management of injury prevention and return to work in temporary work agencies. Toronto: Institute of Work & Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukhtar, M., Dean, J., Wilson, K., Ghassemi, E., & Wilson, D. H. (2016). “But Many of These Problems are About Funds…”: The challenges Immigrant Settlement Agencies (ISAs) encounter in a suburban setting in Ontario, Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 17(2), 389–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nevitte, N., & Kanji, M. (2003). Immigrants and work: findings from the 1990 and 2000 World Values Surveys (Canada). Ottawa: Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • NVivo. (2017). NVivo qualitative data analysis Software (10th ed.). QSR International Pty Ltd., 2017, Victoria.

  • Oreopoulos, P., & Dechief, D. (2012). Why do some employers prefer to interview Matthew, but not Samir? New evidence from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver

    Google Scholar 

  • Premji, S., & Lewchuk, W. (2014). Racialized and gendered disparities in occupational exposures among Chinese and white workers in Toronto. Ethnicity and Health, 19(5), 512–528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Premji, S., Messing, K., & Lippel, K. (2008). Broken English, broken bones? Mechanisms linking language proficiency and occupational health in a Montreal garment factory. International Journal of Health Services, 38(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.2190/HS.38.1.a.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Premji, S., & Smith, P. (2013). Education-to-job mismatch and the risk of work injury. Injury Prevention, 19(2), 106–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, A. (2012). Under-use of migrants’ employment skills linked to poorer mental health. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 36(2), 120–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reitz, J. G. (2007). Immigrant employment success in Canada, part I: Individual and contextual causes. Journal of International Migration and Integration/Revue de l’integration et de la migration internationale, 8(1), 11–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schellenberg, G., & Maheux, H., (2007). Immigrants’ perspectives on their first four years in Canada: highlights from three waves of the longitudinal survey of immigrants to Canada. Canadian Social Trends, 11-008, 2–34.

  • Scott, K. (2003). Funding matters: the impact of Canada’s new funding regime on nonprofit and voluntary organizations. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Social Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sethi, B. (2015). Education and employment training supports for newcomers to Canada’s middle-sized urban/rural regions: implications for social work practice. Journal of Social Work, 15(2), 138–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P., Chen, C., & Mustard, C. (2009). Differential risk of employment in more physically demanding jobs among a recent cohort of immigrants to Canada. Injury Prevention, 15(4), 252–258. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2008.021451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P., & Mustard, C. (2009). Comparing the risk of work-related injuries between immigrants to Canada and Canadian-born labour market participants. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66(6), 361–367. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2007.038646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P., & Mustard, C. (2010). The unequal distribution of occupational health and safety risks among immigrants to Canada compared to Canadian-born labour market participants: 1993–2005. Safety Science, 48(10), 1296–1303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweetman, A., McDonald, J. T., & Hawthorne, L. (2015). Occupational regulation and foreign qualification recognition: an overview. Canadian Public Policy, 41(Supplement 1), S1–S13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, J. (2015). “Teaching somebody to fish”: implications for immigrant-serving organizations and employment in Edmonton and Winnipeg. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 47(1), 157–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Underhill, E., & Quinlan, M. (2011). How precarious employment affects health and safety at work: the case of temporary agency workers. Relations industrielles/industrial relations, 66(3), 397–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Velayutham, S. (2013). Precarious experiences of Indians in Australia on 457 temporary work visas. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 24(3), 340–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahlbeck, Ö. (2007). Work in the kebab economy: A study of the ethnic economy of Turkish immigrants in Finland. Ethnicities, 7(4), 543–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warman, C., Sweetman, A., & Goldmann, G. (2015). The portability of new immigrants’ human capital: language, education, and occupational skills. Canadian Public Policy, 41(Supplement 1), S64–S79.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant number 890-2016-4056) and Ontario Ministry of Labour Research Opportunities Program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Work & Health, 481 University Ave., Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2E9, Canada

    Agnieszka Kosny, Basak Yanar, Momtaz Begum, Dina Al-khooly, Morgan A. Lay & Peter M. Smith

  2. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, 6th floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M7, Canada

    Agnieszka Kosny & Peter M. Smith

  3. School of Labour Studies and Department of Health Aging and Society at McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada

    Stephanie Premji

  4. CIHR Institute of Population & Public Health, Global Strategy Lab Dahdaleh Building, Suite 5021 York University 88 The Pond Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Morgan A. Lay

Authors
  1. Agnieszka Kosny
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Basak Yanar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Momtaz Begum
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dina Al-khooly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stephanie Premji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Morgan A. Lay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Peter M. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Basak Yanar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Research Involving Human Participants

All procedures involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kosny, A., Yanar, B., Begum, M. et al. Safe Employment Integration of Recent Immigrants and Refugees. Int. Migration & Integration 21, 807–827 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00685-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00685-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation