After uprooting his life in Saudi Arabia and relocating to Canada, Omar Hussein spent two years of his teenage life handing out resumes anywhere he could.
Hussein arrived in Canada with his family in 2018 at 15. By 2020, 17 year old Omar got his a permit and was ready to search for work.
Hoping to find a source of income to help his family, he applied to every coffee shop and store in his neighbourhood. He described his job search as tedious and anticlimactic. Of the four coffee shops and eight retail stores that were hiring, he received one call-back from Staples. At the end of his interview, Hussein was told that he did not have enough experience.
While many begin working at 16 in Canada, the legal working age for men in Saudi Arabia is 21. This created a gap in Hussein’s resume. “It was tough to find someone who trusted me enough to hire me with no experience. Most employers see it as a requirement,” he said.
Hussein’s challenging experience is a familiar one for many immigrants in Canada. A Capital Current analysis of Statistic’s Canada’s most recent job numbers indicates the unemployment rate for recent immigrants in Canada, aged 18 to 24, was 20.5 per cent compared to 13 per cent for Canadian workers in the same age group. The agency considers immigrants landed within the last five years to be recent immigrants.
Economists attribute the unemployment numbers for both recent immigrants and Canadian-born young job-seekers to social and economic factors.
“We’re struggling with inflation. With that, the ... rate goes up,” said Jason Dean, assistant economics professor at King's University College, told Capital Current.
Dean’s studies have focused on the economic and social factors that make it harder for immigrants to find work. “It is a challenge to enter a new labour market with language barriers, issues with recognition of foreign credentials, and a lack of established networks,” said Dean.
“Unfortunately, we also still see discrimination and bias,” he added.
Credential mismatch complicated the job search for Monah Al-Achkar. An entrepreneur who moved to Canada from Lebanon in 2023, he struggled to find work for nearly one year despite having extensive experience and previously owning a media company back home.
Al-Achkar said that although his initial impressions of Canada were positive and he appreciates the opportunities available, securing a job was tougher than he anticipated. “I started [looking for] a job but nobody answered me to do an interview.”
He emphasized the importance of networking for immigrants trying to enter the Canadian workforce.
Al-Achkar said job application platforms such as Indeed do not yield tangible responses. For every 10 online applications he pursued, Al-Achkar heard back from two or less. “The online way [feels] very slow.”
He says there was a point where he was desperate to work whatever job he could land. "For a job like Tim Hortons or a labour job, I don't know why nobody answers.”
Al-Achkar started his own media production business following the limited responses from employers. He said that he is facing pros and cons with this big step.
On one hand, he has secured financial stability for himself. On the other, he faces challenges with hiring employees. "It's not easy. We have a lot of expenses. We need at least 8K per month to cover everything.”
Dean said that change is possible, but there are no ‘easy’ solutions.
“We need to invest in language and training programs for newcomers. It will cost money, but then people are able to integrate,” he said. “It should be a priority to minimize and mitigate inefficiencies or delays with immigrants getting their foreign credentials recognized.”
Al-Achkar offered his advice to other immigrants: "For people outside Canada, try to find a job before you come, and build connections in Canada. For people already in Canada, try all the ways, even the old ways, like taking your resume and knocking on doors."
Now 21, Hussein works as a sales associate at the UPS store in Ottawa South. In Feb. 2022, store manager Ahmed Al-Ansi offered Hussein an interview after two years of constant hunting. “The store is in my community. I was lucky enough to get to know the manager and he encouraged me to apply.”
