Future of work

This report looks at the impacts of COVID-19 on immigrant workers in the US, Canada, Australia and several EU countries. In nearly all countries examined, immigrant workers were more likely than their native-born counterparts to be employed in jobs ill-suited to remote work.

Although job loss rates between the two groups were nearly equal before the pandemic, data shows that in nearly all the countries examined, employment losses by immigrant workers throughout the pandemic were greater than those of the native-born population. Additionally, immigrants were disproportionately represented in sectors hardest hit by the lockdowns, such as the hospitality sector, security and cleaning services and the restaurant industry.

Furthermore, for recent immigrants (fewer than five years), short job tenure placed them in higher risk of job loss. The authors argue that as the pandemic continues, one likely consequence will be the increase in remote work that has benefitted Canadian-born workers more than immigrant workers. To mitigate this, they suggest placing further attention on transitioning immigrant workers into more “remoteable” occupations, supported by enhanced language proficiency training.

Finally, policymakers must recognize that for nearly two years, lockdowns and re-opening the economy has had unequal effects on different groups. Moving forward, policy decisions should examine how to provide a smoother economic recovery for groups most affected.