New Study Highlights Employment Barriers for Immigrants

Yesterday, the Progressive Economics Forum posted a blog about a new study conducted by Phil Oreopoulos at the University of British Columbia. The results of the study revealed that racism is a significant barrier to employment for new immigrants.

Entitled, “Why Do Skilled Immigrants Struggle in the Labour Market? A Field Experiment with Six Thousand Resumes,” the study sent out six thousand fabricated resumes in response to online job postings in Toronto.

The resumes were created to represent recent immigrants from China, India, Pakistan and Britain, as well as non-immigrants with and without ethnic-sounding names. The resumes were also randomly given either foreign or domestic educational experience.

According to the study, “interview request rates for English-named applicants with Canadian education and experience were more than three times higher compared to résumés with Chinese, Indian, or Pakistani names with foreign education and experience (5 percent versus 16 percent) but were no different compared to foreign applicants from Britain.”

It also found that discrimination against applicants with ethnic names or foreign experience was very common. “[Resumes] with English-sounding names received inter¬view requests 40 percent more often than applicants with Chinese, Indian, or Pakistani names, with a call-back rate of 16 percent versus 11 percent.”

This has not been the only recent study to reveal the prevalence of racism in Canada. A study released in Toronto last month revealed that race, more than religion or income, was the biggest barrier that recent immigrants faced in feeling like they belonged in Canada.

The results of these studies are both saddening and disturbing. Newcomers to Canada are now more educated than ever before, and yet face increasing barriers to employment, education, and a life free from poverty.

Canadians are experiencing racism every day, and yet many people still believe that racism is no longer an issue in Canada. We cannot continue to let this happen. We all have a responsibility to help foster greater inclusiveness in this country and ensure that everyone – regardless of race or origin – feels that they belong.