Canada providing more support to visible minority newcomer women

Canada is making it easier for visible minority newcomer women to find a job by providing the support and services they need to succeed.

Some newcomer women face multiple barriers trying to find work and get ahead in Canada. This includes gender- and race-based discrimination, precarious or low-income employment, lack of affordable childcare, and weak social and employment supports.

Recognising these challenges, the government has selected 22 organisations from across the country that understand visible minority newcomer women, the barriers they face, and their circumstances. These organisations will launch projects over the next two years that will:

– Develop and test innovative approaches to enable more visible minority newcomer women to find a job and succeed at work;

– Support smaller organizations to increase their capacity to serve visible minority newcomer women and enable them to overcome barriers to employment; and

– Increase the digital literacy of visible minority newcomer women to access and advance within the Canadian labour market.

“Visible minority newcomer women face more challenges than any other group to enter the workforce,” said immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. “This isn’t just about getting women jobs; it’s also about providing a sense of dignity and belonging. Canada’s gender equality is for all women, not just for some.”

Figures show that visible minority newcomer women have the lowest median annual income of all newcomer groups at CDN$26,624, compared to non-visible minority newcomer women (CDN$30,074), visible minority newcomer men (CDN$35,574), and non-visible minority newcomer men (CDN$42,591).

They are also more likely to be unemployed. The unemployment rate of visible minority newcomer women (9.7 per cent) is higher than that of visible minority (8.5 per cent) and non-visible minority (6.4 per cent) newcomer men, based on 2016 Census data.

Hussen says the Government is committed to the full and equal participation of all women and girls, and that this is essential to Canada’s economic growth and prosperity.

Article published 7th June 2019