Overrepresented in service jobs, Filipinos more likely to have lost work in pandemic

It's been nearly six months since Lorna Paragas was robbed of the job she loved, serving coffee with a side of her infectioussmile and she still wakes up every morninglike nothing's changed.

"Every time I wake up 4 o'clockI cried,because for how many years I've been working there?" Paragasasks, her eyes red from thetears.

She doesn't have to wake up asearly, but Paragashasn't shaken the morning routine she perfected for 11 years, before the pandemic stole hercoffee shop job. Now, the Winnipeggersits in the stillness of her apartment before dawn, watching TV because she cannot fallasleep.

Many ethnic groups suffered disproportionately from the COVID-19 pandemic, andFilipinos,such as Paragas, felt the pain more than mostvisible minority groups in Canada, statistics show.

WATCH |Lorna Paragas explains the impact of losing her long-timejob

Lorna Paragas mourns the loss of her job

4 years ago

Duration 0:24

Lorna Paragas worked at a coffee shop for 11 years before she was laid off at the height of the pandemic. She hasn't been invited back to work.

More than 42 per cent of Filipino Canadianswho completed a Statistics Canada questionnairereported job losses or cut hours, compared to 34 per cent of white people. More than36,000 people responded to the surveybetween May 26 and June 8.

Theimpact is also being felt in Winnipeg. EconomistTyler Markowskytolda city council committee last week thatpeople from the city's Filipino and West Asian populations, at the height of the lockdown, experiencedhigher job lossand a greater reduction inhours than white residents.

Diwa Marcelino, who advocates for migrant workers and newcomers with Migrante Manitoba, saidFilipinos in the labour force areconcentrated in the service sector an industry that took a beating whenpeople were ordered tostayhome whenever possible and health-care.

"You'll findFilipinos in a lot of service sector jobs because of thislow barrier to entry, and because of the fact that many Filipinos are still supporting their family back home [in the Philippines] because the economycan't support them," he said.

Service jobs have 'low barrier to entry'

Marcelino said first generation arrivals from the Philippines are often armed with skilled credentials whenthey get to Canada, but cannot find work in their field. He said that leaves many people latching onto jobs inrestaurants and retail, where further schooling isn't required.

The newcomers also prioritize finding work quickly as many of them send remittances to their loved ones back in the Philippines, he said where the economy is floundering.Filipino Canadians sent more money abroad than any other group in 2017, Statistics Canada says.

"It's really thesource of why Filipinos in Canada, for instance, choose to get jobs that will get them a quick turnaround, a quick return on investment, because they have family at home who need food, water, rent," Marcelino said.

He added that Filipinos locally have pivoted toward work areas that have seen growth, such as grocery stores and the health-care fields.

"Most Filipinos I know have two to three jobs, so they have a plan B and a plan C, and now they're using that as their advantage,"Marcelinosaid.

That's why Paragashas kept working. Before the pandemic, she was a cashier at a grocery store only on weekends. These days, she's working anywhere from 28-38 hours a week. It's been a big help to her finances, thoughshe isn't approaching the 50-hour weeks shehad before.

"Right now, I'm earning good," she said.

Janice Brionesarrived in Canada in 2014trained as a teacher, but her education wasn't recognized locally. She picked up various restaurant jobs instead.

"Most of us who came here are professional in my country, and thenmost of us also send money back home, so when we comehere, even the minimum wage jobs, we have to grab it," she said.

Her experience in restaurantsdidn't come in handy when she was suddenly out of work due to the pandemic.

"Most of the restaurants areclosed and my resum is all aboutrestaurants," said the single mother of two. "It's really stressful how can I get a job if most of the restaurants are closed?"

Her family got by financially through theCanada emergency response benefit (CERB), whileshe firedoff resumsfora range of jobs. It took awhile, but by August she began workingin the health-care sector. She plans to become a medical device reprocessing technician.

"I feel so good,"Brionessaid. "When you are on CERB, you get so stressed, you develop anxiety. You don't know what will happen next.

"I'm glad that the CERBis not yet stopped, but I still have a job."

Filipino community feeling the impact of economic hardship

4 years ago

Duration 2:33

New figures from Stats Canada show more than 42 per cent of Filipino Canadians who completed a questionnaire reported job losses or cut hours since the start of the pandemic.