Skilled immigrants working in jobs they're vastly overqualified for face significant mental health challenges including a loss of skills and professional identity, a new study shows.
To make matters worse, these jobs are often in what's known as precarious working environments, with insufficient wages to meet living expenses, irregular hours and a lack of benefits including health insurance and pension, according to study co-author Shu-Ping Chen, associate professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta.
"Most research generalizes precarious employment across populations, but our study looks specifically at immigrant workers, whose voices are not often represented in research," she says.
Chen and her collaborators interviewed 42 immigrants in precarious employment, finding that 81 per cent were overqualified for their jobs. From these responses, researchers identified several challenges that could be targeted through interventions.
One challenge that immediately curtails an immigrant's opportunities to find a job in the field they were trained for is that many foreign credentials are not recognized in Canada.
"Many immigrants — especially health-care professionals — noticed delays or outright rejection of their qualifications by regulatory bodies," says Chen, adding that lack of a professional network and lack of local work experience can also hinder recent immigrants' opportunities.
Credential bridging programs that help translate foreign qualifications into recognized Canadian credentials would be a straightforward and effective way to address this, Chen notes.
Within the workplace, language barriers and cultural barriers can also pose a challenge. A misunderstanding of Canadian workplace culture and norms may lead to poorer job performance and fewer advancement opportunities — an issue that often gets worse with time, Chen says. In response to discrimination or the struggle to be understood, many recent immigrants begin avoiding interactions with colleagues and develop what the study authors refer to as a negative mindset.
"They stop speaking up about issues, and then they accept this unfair treatment, which will make their situation worse. It's a negative cycle."
Chen suggests cultural awareness training for employers could help address this issue, as well as increased occupational health and safety training to give employees a better understanding of their rights in the workplace. This type of training could also alleviate the higher risk of physical injury immigrants in precarious employment face because they often perform unfamiliar physical labour without having been trained for it.
Despite the high prevalence of mental health struggles among the study participants, most said they avoided seeking professional help. This may be for a variety of reasons, Chen says, including a fear of being misunderstood or judged by mental health professionals or the stigma particular cultures place on mental health interventions.
"Together, these issues mean that many immigrants struggle on their own instead of getting the help they need."
When recent immigrants are engaged in work far below their qualifications for prolonged periods, it also begins to chip away at their self-identity, which further diminishes their mental health, the researchers found.
"Their professional and social identities were tied to their qualifications, so working below their capacity can lead to feelings of inadequacy and mental distress," says Chen. She also highlights a phenomenon called the "deskilling process," in which repeated employment in these precarious work environments "will lead them to lose their skill and confidence and further restrict their career growth."
Chen and her collaborators have developed five online learning modules designed to help newcomers understand Canadian workplace culture and psychological safety at work. The modules will soon be piloted with two Calgary-based agencies that work with recent immigrants.
The study is part of a larger research project seeking to address the needs of new immigrant workers by identifying training gaps, evaluating available resources and developing targeted solutions.
"The study raises awareness of this problem. We would like to highlight the urgent need for stronger policies to ensure fair job opportunities, and emphasize the need for governments, employers and community organizations to work together to create solutions."
The study was supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and by an OHS Futures research grant from the Alberta government.
