THE EMPLOYMENT PARADOX: NEED EXPERIENCE FOR A JOB, NEED A JOB TO GAIN EXPERIENCE

Gagandeep Sehgal hit a wall. Not one made of bricks or wood, but an invisible barrier faced by many newcomers to Canada. He had a computer science degree and an MBA, plus years of experience as a software engineer. Still, to work in his field, he needed one more thing on his resume — Canadian work experience. “But you can’t get that Canadian experience until you start working,” says Sehgal, who immigrated from India in 2010. His master’s degree was completed at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, but that still wasn’t enough. The predicament was frustrating. “Definitely, because I was in the country for so long,” the 30-something Sehgal says. “I did my MBA over here and already knew the culture and everything.” After months of looking, he finally found work in his field on Prince Edward Island. He still lives there and, after a couple of different jobs, is now a programmer analyst with the federal government. Lack of Canadian experience is among the barriers newcomers face in finding work in Atlantic Canada. Many immigrants arrive with education and skills in fields such as health, science and engineering. Solutions to overcome such hurdles are key to the success of the Atlantic Growth Strategy, a federal-provincial economic plan for the region that counts attracting immigrants and skilled workers as a main plank. In the minds of many, enticing more newcomers to settle on the East Coast is critical. “I don’t think it’s overly dramatic to say the future of Atlantic Canada is at stake,” former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna told a public policy forum in Fredericton last March. He was optimistic though, noting the region seems to have finally acknowledged it has an aging population and an exodus of young people seeking employment. McKenna called the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, which is connected to the growth strategy, a “huge step forward.” There have been some advances ahead of those plans hitting full stride. Between 2012 and 2018, a record 19,300 immigrants entered the region’s workforce, according to the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. Still, that wasn't enough to stem a 2.4 per cent decline — 30,700 people — in the labour market, primarily due to retiring baby boomers. Added to that, the region’s immigrant retention rate is low, ranging from 72 per cent in N.S. to 18 per cent in P.E.I., according to a 2018 report. So, if Atlantic Canada is going to attract and retain immigrants, a few issues need to be addressed to help them find meaningful work. One is the lack of Canadian experience Sehgal, and countless others, have endured. Another is language, according to Mohja Alia, manager of employment and bridging at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS). She suggests that’s actually the greatest barrier facing the majority of immigrants. “A lot of times, the worker will say, ‘Yes. Yes. Yes,’ even if they don’t understand what is being said to them,” Alia says. “This creates problems when the task is not completed or completed properly because of the language gap.” ISANS, and other organizations focused on helping immigrants live and work on the East Coast, offers English as a second language courses to help bridge the verbal divide. Cultural differences are another barrier for newcomers entering, or trying to enter, the Atlantic Canadian workforce. That’s according to Sheri Abbott, employment development manager with AXIS Career Services, a program run by the Association of New Canadians in St. John’s. “As an example, time management needs to be discussed,” she says, adding there needs to be a clear understanding of the standards and expectations between both the immigrant and the employer. That requires training in areas like workplace cultural preparation. “We’ve made a lot of headway in working on barriers,” Abbott says. To help knock down some of the walls for other newcomers, Sehgal put his tech skills to use. He and a group of fellow P.E.I. immigrants decided to show the obstacles and highlight the successes through namasteworld.co. The website went live in 2017, following a period when Sehgal noticed growing misinformation and controversy surrounding U.S. immigration. He says the goal was showing the value of immigrants to wherever they choose to call home. “We wanted to do our part so the negative things wouldn’t affect the way people in P.E.I. perceive immigrants.”