Nearly $6 Million in funding will go towards ten projects that can assist newcomer women in finding work.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced that it will provide $5.8 million in additional support to 10 Racialized Women Pilot Program projects. This announcement was made in Halifax, Canada, on December 9, as part of a 16-day awareness campaign to end gender-based violence against females.
Racialized newcomer women pilot program was established in 2018. It was previously known as the Visible Minority Women at Work Program. This program was created to help newcomer women overcome obstacles to employment. The program was funded with $31.9 million over three years to help racialized women become more successful in their careers and find jobs. Budget 2021 provided $15 million for the next two years.
According to immigration minister Sean Fraser, “Racialized women newcomers face significant challenges in getting into the workforce.” This is not about getting women jobs. It’s about giving them a sense of belonging and dignity. This support is part of the Government of Canada’s work to end gender-based violence. It ensures that all sectors are supported in gender equality. Canada’s gender equality policy is for all women.
Women new to the country are more likely than men to find low-wage jobs.
These initiatives were made more apparent by the COVID-19 pandemic. This disproportionately affected newcomers, especially women, who often worked in retail or grocery stores. Recent immigrants to Canada have a higher level of employment in the hospitality, food and accommodation sectors. This sector suffered the most from lockdowns.
Also, Labour Force Survey data for January to June 2021 show a significant gap in unemployment between Canadian-born and recent immigrants (15.2% vs 8.0%).
Part-time work is also more common for newcomer women. Statistics Canada found that 66% of immigrant wives or common-law partners are more likely to work full-time than 70% of Canadian-born women.
Supporting women through projects
More than 2,500 people participated in Pilot activities between 2019 and 2020. Participants were mainly core workers (aged between 25 and 54 years) or recent immigrants (those who had lived in Canada for less than five years).
These projects are run by non-profit organizations in Canada and aim to provide newcomer women with language skills, connect them with employers, and teach them soft skills that will help them find employment.
One project also assists newcomer women in IT and technical skills to help them gain the credential recognition they need to find work in Canada.
Funding has been announced for programs that target newcomer women to end gender-based violence. The Gender-Based Violence Settlement Sector Strategy was explicitly created.
This project is a partnership of the anti-violence and settlement sectors. It prevents gender-based violence by encouraging more awareness and collaboration across all industries. The funding will build the capacity of frontline workers in settlement sectors who deal with gender-based violence.
IRCC claims that the resources, training, and knowledge they get will enable them to respond better to victims’ needs. Over the next four years, the project will be closely monitored to create a joint knowledge base about gender-based violence in the settlement sector. It will also help to develop programs to educate newcomers about the resources and services available to them, even those who live in rural areas.
