Immigrant Workers In Canada

In today’s world, the structure, content, patterns, and process of the work has changed, and this has affected the balance or power between workers and employers in the labour market. In Canada, not only the workforces are now more demographically diverse than ever, but also the organizations have shifted their ways in the way they function. The Canadian economy is becoming fast paced than ever, and this is due to competitive pressures and technological breakthroughs. Over the last two decades, there has been an evident shift in the skills that employers need from their workers. Unlike previous years, educational credentials and work experiences are now highly in demand, and it has also impacted immigration. All these factors have contributed

Moreover, Immigration Canada has placed restrictions on required higher qualifications and changed employment requirements in order to give preference to multi-skilled workers in an ever-changing labour market (Troper, 2013). However, most Canadian companies prefer and require Canadian work experience. This recruiting strategy gives employers more power over the immigrant workers. Gogia and Slade (2011) state in their book, called Immigration, that since most employers devalue international work experience and do not draw on international academic assessment organizations to help them understand how an international degree compares with a Canadian degree, many immigrants are not fairly considered in job competitions. Because of devaluation of international credentials, experiences and professional networks, the potentially best and brightest workforce is treated as if they have no work history, no trustworthy references and questionable

Competitive markets seem to have both positive and negative effect on skilled work force. Firms that are competing to hire from a specialized labour market may raise wages to attract and retain workers. Furthermore, ongoing competition has produced an environment where knowledge and skills are considered increasingly valued commodities in the labour market (Bouchard, 1998). However, the presence of many firms in a market does not ensure competition. Under certain conditions, firms may be able to collude with each other to create and abuse market power, for example by agreeing to raise prices or by restricting output (thereby raising prices) to consumers or by restricting wage growth for workers (“CEA”, 2016). This means not appreciating human capital and not investing in enhancing the skills that workers bring to the organization, leaving no room for workers’ growth. Moreover, due to high global competition, increase in outsourcing, and technology taking over, employers tend not to invest much in