Atinitonews.com : Philippine News Feature - Effects on foreign workers and new immigrants during recessionary times

Effects on foreign workers and new immigrants during recessionary times
by Marissa Buyco-Corpus

The current economic crisis has affected most sectors of industry and trade. Concomitantly, it has affected the work force in both industries. We hear of job losses in the auto and allied industries, the financial sector, transportation sector, retail businesses, even the service sectors. Everyone is belt tightening so there are less people buying, less people eating out and less spending in unnecessary products and services. People are deferring buying decisions in buying a new car or appliance or house and just making do with the old or the existing. This further aggravates the recessionary effects on the economy. We are told to buy and help prop up the economy but how can we buy if one member of the family has lost a job or has less working hours or we are afraid of what will happen tomorrow and so every one is in a wait and see mode.

Recently, foreign workers are being affected by the economic downturn and employers hiring foreign workers are not renewing contracts or giving the foreign workers a pink slip. There are several employers who lost their job and decided not to hire a foreign live in caregiver. A company in Alberta had deferred the contracts with foreign workers until the economy recovers from this downspin. We hear more and more of these news and its nothing new anymore. Daily in the papers we read of the thousands of job losses from factories and closures of companies. Claims for unemployment insurance has risen and more and more unemployed are fighting for limited jobs.

Looking at the work force, the temporary foreign workers and new immigrants usually hold the low level entry positions and these are the jobs that are most vulnerable during these times. Last in – first out. Companies will lay off a new immigrant with limited experience and keep a long term employee with a life time of Canadian experience. More so, the foreign worker will have no economic rights and social benefits of a Canadian worker and can be pressured to accepting wages and working conditions unacceptable to Canadians. The most visible example are agricultural workers. In 2007 alone 302,000 foreign workers were brought into Canada – the shock absorbers in times of prosperity and in times of economic downturns. They are the first to be brought in during good times and the first to be let go during bad times.

The recent Canadian Experience Class opens the doors to temporary foreign workers and students to become permanent residents after working or studying in Canada. This is a step towards embracing and integrating these workers and students into the Canadian economic environment. However, this Class is limited to workers in the skilled ands semi-skilled categories and is not open to the lower skilled workers/labourers. The agricultural workers have to go home to their home country after working in the farms for 8 months ( in the past ) and now can stay for 24 months.

The Ministerial directives affecting the Federal Skilled Worker Program by enumerating 38 occupational titles that will fast track the processing of applications into Canada has identified skills that are needed in Canada. But this is quickly changing now with the economic crisis – do we still need Financial Managers ? Government is not quick to respond to the changing times of the country.

It is hoped that government be more responsive to the times – protect the foreign workers, protect the integrity of the immigration policies by constantly evaluating its programs to respond quickly to the changing times. Let us pray that the recession ends soon!

Marissa Corpus has BSBA and MBA degrees from the University of the Philippines and post graduate studies in Financial Management from the Netherlands International Institute of Management. She is Managing Director of Philippine Multimedia Productions publisher of the Filipino Telephone Guide, MBC Immigration Specialists, Servicio Filipino Internationale and a licensed immigration consultant being a FULL member of Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants and CAPIC. Her company was 2006 Philippine awardee as the Best Immigration Consultancy Specialist by the NPQEA. To contact writer, email her at mbcorpus@yahoo.com , check her website at www.mbcimmigration.ca or telephone at 416-266-3838 or 416-264-7676.