Even though Canada has made exceptional strides in leveraging international talent and offering better access to the jobs, there is no denying the fact that challenges persist for the skilled immigrants in Canada. Over the last decade, Canadian job markets have encountered a shortage when it comes to skilled workers. Irrespective of this fact, there are a lot of obstacles faced by skilled immigrants in the country in terms of looking for jobs in their respective sectors.
Some of the challenges include facing those employers, who are unfamiliar with international credentials and work experience. It also includes encountering language barriers and employee discrimination and navigating the usual complex trade as well as expert bodies.
Credential Recognition
As a skilled immigrant, you might be confident about the educational credentials, however, they might not be identified by Canadian employers. While you are applying to employment in Canadian Job Market, the employers might overlook the credential just because they are unfamiliar with your education institution’s name that you graduated from.
The most suitable way of overcoming this obstacle is by getting the credential evaluation for determining your degree’s Canadian equivalency. This will assist employers to identify your degree’s legitimacy as it was assessed by the reputable credential evaluation service.
Your Gender
Women are less likely to get a job in their area of expertise and sector. Along with it, they were less likely to get the job which matched the level of their skills or experience.
Communication and Language
Though skilled immigrants have years of experience in their respective sectors, a majority of them don’t have experience working in Canada. Being unfamiliar with the common workplace terminologies and lingo could slow down the career progress, however, there are plenty of ways for overcoming this gap.
Along with communication and language development, the procedure of highlighting the important skills as well as marketing yourself successfully is also relevant in being hired. In Canada, the art of “pitching” is getting the capability of summarizing who you are.
It includes explaining the professional background, the important experience you have, and your skills which make you the best candidate for the position. Some of the skilled immigrants might not be used to the idea of self-promotion.
The aim with “pitching” is for showcasing how perfect you are for the role as well as your enthusiasm and passion for it.
Field of Work
According to a survey, less than half of the people said they stayed in the same sector of work once they moved to Canada. One-third of the respondents had to change fields after immigrating to the country, even though the majority of them wish to remain a similar sector post-migration.
But, it was simpler for the immigrants in specific fields to continue specializing. For instance, Information Technology (IT) experts were very likely to continue working in this field.
Those newcomers who previously worked in sectors like health care, education, management back in their countries were less likely to continue working in their sectors once they arrived in the country.
Getting licensed in the regulated profession
In case you are the skilled worker in the regulated profession (for instance, a nurse, teacher, and accountant), then it might be tough to begin working in a similar role in the new country. It is due to a lot of expert regulatory bodies are decentralized as well as have distinct licensing needs as per each territory/province and state.
The procedure of re-licensing in the country is time-consuming and costly. It is significant for doing significant research as well as making preparations before you apply for the role.
Canadian Experience
There is a high probability for you to find employment once you gain a bit of experience in the country. In case you enter Canada as a temporary foreign worker, you are offered a better chance of getting gainful employment.
Those people who immigrated under the Canadian Experience Class were 2.4 times more likely to get employed as compared to those people who arrived with the help of other economic streams.
Networking
For the skilled immigrants in the country, cultural and language differences can make networking tough. Usually, the aim of networking is for meeting individuals in the sector that can offer information and tips which could potentially result in you to the next job. Lacking expert connections remains to be a hurdle for those skilled immigrants who are new to the country.
As the solution, consider these options –
- Network with the other immigrants by sharing the experience in approaching the new job in Canadian Job markets.
- Join an expert immigrant network in your region or city for expanding your connections.
- Network online with experts through setting up the up-to-date profile and well-designed
Country of Origin
The country of origin can correlate with the higher likelihood of looking for employment in the country. For instance, a survey displayed that the respondents from the Philippines had the highest employment rates.
But, the ability to find employment conveniently does not mean that you will be capable of finding employment in the field.
Country of Education
Did you go to study abroad or the school in your home country? Where you studied matters in terms of looking for an employment in Canadian Job Market. For instance, those immigrants who completed the highest degree in the US were more likely to look for work in the role which matched their skills and sector once they migrated to the country.
More research should be done for determining the particular practices and programs which effectively address those challenges that the skilled immigrants encounter regularly upon arriving in the country. The most relevant thing to consider is to not to lose confidence.
Make sure to be on the lookout for networking and training opportunities, as well as know that there are several distinct services available for helping you achieve the employment goals.
Future immigrants and newcomers to the country require access to accurate, timely information about the labor market. It will assist you to plan the journey as well as make better choices regarding your career.
