Information and resource needs of newcomers to help ensure their safe integration into the labour market
Reasons for the study
Settlement and integration involves helping recent immigrants and refugees find work and become economically solvent. Yet many newcomers end up in “survival jobs” that are precarious, physically demanding and expose workers to hazards. While “welcome materials” and settlement programs help newcomers find employment, few offer guidance on employment rights, employer responsibilities and how to stay safe at work. This project examined the employment preparation process of newcomers in Ontario and explored the key training and resource needs and opportunities related to safely integrating recent immigrants and refugees into the Canadian labour market.
Objectives of the study
- To conduct key informant interviews with service providers and policy-makers in the immigration and labour fields, and to conduct focus groups with recent immigrant and refugees
- To examine the experiences of newcomers who are looking for work and who are in their first jobs in Canada
- To examine the role that settlement organizations play in the work integration of newcomers
- To determine the scope of current employment and occupational health and safety programming aimed at newcomers
- To determine the needs of recent immigrants and refugees related to safe integration into the Ontario labour market
Related scientific publications
- Yanar B, Kosny A, Smith PM. Occupational health and safety vulnerability of recent immigrants and refugees. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018;15(9):2004. doi:10.3390/ijerph15092004. (Open access)
- Kosny A, Yanar B, Begum M, Al-khooly D, Premji S, Lay M, Smith PM. Safe employment integration of recent immigrants and refugees. Institute for Work & Health; 2018.
Related interviews and articles
- Employers struggle to provide newcomers with OHS training, support: IWH study. Construction Comment: Ottawa Construction Association. February 1, 2023. Available from: https://oca.ca/constructioncomment/archive/2023/2023-02/index.html
- New beginnings: Recent immigrants need more support to reduce their heightened risk of injury. Canadian Occupational Safety. August 14, 2019. Available from: https://www.cos-mag.com/personal-process-safety/40654-global-study-explores-best-practices-for-recent-immigrant-safety/
- Baranyai: Workplace training key for safety of newcomers. The London Free Press. April 27, 2018. Available from: http://lfpress.com/opinion/columnists/baranyai-workplace-training-key-for-safety-of-newcomers
- Newcomers often lack OHS protection and information in their precarious first jobs. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 91, Winter 2018.
- New immigrants vulnerable to workplace accidents. Daily Commercial News: ConstructConnect (Markham, ON). January 26, 2018. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2018/01/new-immigrants-vulnerable-workplace-accidents
- Recent immigrants, refugees largely unaware of OHS: Researchers. Canadian Occupational Safety: Thomson Reuters (Toronto, ON). November 7, 2017. Available from: http://www.cos-mag.com/personal-process-safety/35057-recent-immigrants-refugees-largely-unaware-of-ohs-researchers/
- Bridging program helps foreign-trained researcher tap into Canadian job market. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 89, Summer 2017.
Project status
Completed 2017
Research team
Collaborators and partners
Access Alliance
Brampton Multicultural Centre
KEYs Employment Centre
Skills for Change
Funded by
Ontario Ministry of Labour, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council