iaink

Lead story on the Globe and Mail site:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...rticle1373942/

rschatha

........I suppose things can ONLY get better...............

ann m

I am wondering if this is the results of a telephone survey I took part in at the end of last year ( I thought the one I did was part of a CIC survey, but maybe not).

No matter what way you read the statistics - and we all know about statistics - yes, it can feel pretty bleak. The danger, I think, is for those coming from the UK kidding themselves that all these immigrant figures won't relate to them - it's only 'those other' immigrants who don't speak English very well.

Yes - I think that may have a large impact on the figures - and ability in the language is key. But it ain't everything, as many of this board will testify.

Continued good wishes to all still searching for decent employment

paolosmythe

i think such gloomy observations ARE largely reflective of an immigrant's compatability to their new country; a major obstacle to such is the language barrier for the majority of most new comers to Canada.

however, no-one ever suggested moving to a new country and / or culture was ever going to be easy for anyone and aside from a few fortunate individuals, it seldom ever is. and so what would you expect?

another influence to consider, is that knowing such a migration to be tricky often provokes new settlers to take the first job offered and be grateful for it. it is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, as articles such as the one from the OP will only ever cause people who read it, to gladly accept 'just a factory job'.

but this is all part of the process and frankly it should come as little surprise to anyone who researches the pros and cons of their dreams adequately.

iaink

I would expect Canada, (as a progressive G8 nation that openly touts for immigrants to come here to fulfill a need), to not have such an obvious gap between the skills that need filling, and the candidates it admits to do those jobs.

If Canada does not need skilled graduates (as indicated by the over qualification for the jobs immigrants are doing), then it should not string them along with false hope for a rosy future.

If it does need skilled graduates to fill a void in the available work force then it should do all it can to ensure that the immigrants are compatible with the jobs and are paid accordingly.

Is that too much to ask?

Aviator

That pretty much sums it up. I doubt the picture is much different in the US, UK or Australia.

It takes time to figure out how thing are done and assimilate into the culture. It pretty much took us 10 years before we felt like we were a part of Canadian society and not stuck between two shores.

paolosmythe

Aside from implanting a 'career chip' (copyright Futurama) on landing, there is little a governing authority can do, to ensure those new arrivees are adequately entertained by prospective employers.

it seems that for your perceived 'false hope' to be remedied, the perfect employment solution needs to fall from the sky. i fear there needs to be a recognition between 'hope' and 'reasonable expectation' especially from those wanting something for nothing.

joelsa

I agree with you there.

The problem isn't so much the whole of Canada. It's the Provinces and the red Tape that they all put up for us to jump through.
Doctors who end up burger flipping, Teachers working in Walmart.

Like the Teacher working in Walmart, my own qualifications were good enough to tick all the boxes on our immigration papers. I was the principle applicant, so they're good enough for the CIC. But not good enough (or even recognized) when it comes to finding a job and working here!!!!

JonboyE

It will be interesting to see how the figures change if you only included immigrants from the skilled worker class, even more so in a few years when the effects of THE LIST have worked into the economy.

That said, the story pretty accurately reflects the experience of immigrants I see and meet in Vancouver.

iaink

The government is setting targets for immigrant types based on what they think is needed. Either those qualifications are needed, in which case they will be employed, or they are not, in which case they end up competing for jobs lower in the food chain.

If the stats are showing the later to be the case, then something is wrong with the supply and demand thing.

Its no surprise it is what it is as the point target was lowered for political reasons a few years ago, leading to the system getting swamped with mediocre applicants (for want of a better word). Throw in the family class candidates and its no mystery why immigrants have a hard time.

Worse still are cases where the government recognises qualifcaions that the work place doesnt. In those cases the government needs to face up to some harsh decisions, and either intervene in qualification ratification, or decide not to admit candidates who dont meet the provincial requirements, but there is also an element of due diligence / buyer beware in this for the candidates. Do your homework.

Hopefully the new system which is more job centric will have a positive effect, but it will take a while I suspect. The whole thing has been somewhat mismanaged, and this is the consequences Im afraid.

JonboyE

I am not sure where this deception takes place. I chose to immigrate. The only thing the Canadian Government promised me (or anyone else I know) was that if I didn't get a job for myself they weren't going to give me any help.

Keith

I was one of the fortunate ones who was offered a job in 1963.

We imediately saw an increase in both salary and what it could buy.

Within 2 years we had bought our own detached bungalow and car.
I could just afford to buy a small semi in the UK and couldn't afford a car. We had 2 children under 6 and in neither the UK or here in Ottawa did my wife go out to work.

I feel today just as I felt those 46 years ago, we made the right move. Never for one moment did we have any regrets. The UK is to us just another country and one we have rarely visited in all those years.

iaink

The deception, such as it is, is in seemingly encouraging 1000 hypothetically people to abandon careers and lives in other places to take up opportunities in canada when there may well only be 900 jobs available at that level.

I suppose they are just looking out for Canadas interests in making sure there are enough people to support the economy, but it sucks to be in the 100 hypothetical people driving the metaphorical taxi for a living.

bodgerx

These overqualified/underpaid immigrant articles are as old as the hills. With or without recession they are published.

I would be interested to see a split of east and west Canada on these figures. It seems on this forum the majority of strugglers seem to be in the west.

Or, this may just reflect how many chose the west of over the east.

Almost Canadian

I have to admit that I don't get that impression from the majority of posters on this forum.

I think it is fair to say that more posters moving to the East are able to do so by buying a house without a mortgage (so that they can afford to live with lower earnings than those in the West) than move to the West.

Other than that, I don't see a huge distinction between those that choose to move to East/West. Accepting that those that want to look at/play in the mountains tend to move to the West, whereas those that wish to own bigger houses with lots of land move to the East. Those that want neither, but wish to live in the Centre of the Universe move to Tronno and then complain about the traffic