'A vicious circle': Newcomers struggling to find jobs in Canada despite education, experience

They came to this country with experience and education but finding work in Canada is still difficult, some immigrants lament.

At a hiring workshop at the Coquitlam Public Library Monday, about 50 people new to Canada revamped their resums, rewrote cover letters and began looking for a new jobin the fields they've been working in for years.

"It's been a rather challenging experience," said Jasleen Bindri, a college teacher who taught English literature in India for 10 years.

"I think it's a vicious circle that you're expected to have the Canadian experience, but you can't have the Canadian experience unless you get into something."

An organizer of the event put on by S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a multicultural organization supporting newcomers said Bindra's situation is not unique. She added that Canada's economy could lose out ifimmigrants aren't able to fully contribute to the workforce.

Overcoming barriers

Bindri is now volunteering with different organizations in hopes of gaining experience in Canada. She still needs a Canadian teaching certification if she hopes to lead a classroom again.

Riddhi Sawant, who also immigrated from India, said she has a master's in game design and has also worked on computer graphics.

She believes her education should give her a chance, but she just can't catch a break in Canada.

"There is something called Canadian work culture barrier," Sawant explained, adding she thinks employers should be more willing to consider hiring immigrants.

Ryan Drew, a director with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., echoed those sentiments.

"The unemployment rate is so low that there really is a need for employers to be looking at all the sources of workers," Drew said. "They may not have thought about newcomers before.

"We have diverse communities and we need diverse workers to support them."

Drew said some newcomers have barriers that need to be overcome such as non-Canadian credentials and not enough fluency with Canada's official languages.

She's hopeful their event which runs until Thursday will help those in the Tri-Cities area find ways to do just that.

With files from Zahra Premji

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