Economist says there's a skills mismatch between some newcomers and where they work

A Memorial University economics professor says employers in Newfoundland and Labrador are reporting labour shortages and looking for newcomers to fill them but highly skilled workers aren't always placed in the right field.

Tony Fang said there's a "skills mismatch" between many newcomers and the places they work.

"I think it's a tragedy, to some extent," he said.

"Immigrants, we know on average, are highly educated, highly skilled. But, you know, if they are not placed in their field of studiesand their human capital is not fully utilized.It's really a waste of highly skilled talents."

On Friday, a group of 13 Filipino newcomers arrived in Hickman's Harbour, where they'll be working in a fish plant. That group includes a nurse and early childhood educator, though neither will be working in those fields, at least for now.

Fang said it's common for highly skilled workers to take jobs in other fields while getting Canadian certification in their field.

"When they take those low-end jobs, they will accumulate financial resources, local labour market experiences, [and] get their professional certification, eventually moving to those high-end occupations," he said.

WATCH |A Memorial University economist says highly skilled newcomers aren't always placed in the right field:

Foreign workers trained for in-demand jobs like nursing are working in N.L. fish plants

2 years ago

Duration 2:18

Some temporary foreign workers arriving in Newfoundland to work in fish plants are certified nurses and early childhood educators which the province desperately needs more of. Memorial University economics professor Tony Fang talks about skill mismatch.

On Thursday, John Reynald Escasinas one of the newcomers said he'd be willing to return to the nursing field after completing additional training.

The province has already looked to workers in countries like India and Jamaica to help plug a nursing shortage.

Fang pointed to the technical trades and production like fish plants as other areas with major labour shortages.

Making welcoming communities

Last year, Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a population bump driven by immigration, but that immigration was largely confined to urban areas of the provincelike St. John's.

Still, temporary foreign workers in rural Newfoundland and Labrador work in a range of industries, from hospitality to fish plants.

"Of course, there are always labour shortages, and the nature of labour is certainly changing in rural," said Municipalities N.L. director of advocacy Deatra Walsh.

WATCH |Municipalities N.L. director of advocacy Deatra Walsh saysmore can be done to make newcomers feel welcome in rural communities:

Making rural N.L. more attractive to newcomers

2 years ago

Duration 1:31

A population bump from newcomers last year was confined mostly to urban areas like St. John's. Deatra Walsh with Municipalities N.L. says rural communities could do more to attract people.

But Walsh said communities can do more to attract and retain newcomers. Housing, recreation and child care in addition to industry are allareas for rural communities to focus on when looking to attract newcomers.

"There's other issues around housing, around supports, you know, recreation, facilities, child care, all of these things are part of the fabric that make a particular place attractive or not," she said.

Walsh said MNLworks with communities to obtain funding and ensure essential services are in place.

"It's also ensuring that communities are safe places where harm is not caused. That we are aware of ourselves as humans, and also that we create anti-racist spaces, that we're aware of things around reconciliation," she said.

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