Why Many Filipino Professionals Take Survival Jobs First in Canada

Introduction

When Filipino professionals immigrate to Canada, they often face a challenging transition into the workforce. Despite their extensive qualifications, experience, and educational backgrounds, many are forced to take “survival jobs”—positions that are typically low-paying and not related to their field of expertise. While these jobs may not reflect their skills or ambitions, they serve as an essential stepping stone for newcomers to adjust to their new lives. Understanding the reasons behind this trend sheds light on the broader immigrant experience in Canada.

What Are Survival Jobs?

Survival jobs are those that provide immediate income but do not require the professional qualifications, skills, or experience that the individual holds. These jobs typically include positions in retail, hospitality, food service, cleaning, or manual labor. For many Filipino immigrants, these roles serve as a way to support themselves financially while they navigate the complex process of having their qualifications recognized or seek employment in their professional fields.

Why Do Filipino Professionals Take Survival Jobs?

1. Credential Recognition Challenges
   One of the primary reasons Filipino professionals take survival jobs in Canada is the difficulty in having their credentials and qualifications recognized. Canada has a strict process for recognizing foreign credentials, which can be lengthy, expensive, and complicated. Depending on the province, Filipino professionals may need to have their educational background assessed by regulatory bodies, undergo additional certification, or even take equivalency exams. For many immigrants, the time it takes to get their credentials recognized can range from months to years. This delay in professional licensing often forces them to accept survival jobs while they wait.
2. Language and Communication Barriers
   While many Filipinos are fluent in English, there are often language nuances, accents, and regional differences in communication styles that can hinder effective interaction in the workplace. In some cases, they may need to improve their language proficiency, especially if they have a strong accent or difficulty understanding regional variations of Canadian English. Additionally, Filipino professionals may find the medical or technical terminology specific to their field in Canada challenging to learn initially. Until they become more comfortable with these linguistic differences, they may find it difficult to secure jobs in their profession and thus resort to survival jobs.
3. Experience and Networking Gaps
   Many Filipino professionals struggle to enter their field due to a lack of Canadian work experience or local references. Canadian employers often prioritize local experience and professional networks, which newcomers may not have. This experience gap can be difficult to overcome, as Filipino immigrants might not be familiar with the specific workplace culture or expectations in Canada. As a result, they often have to take survival jobs in the interim while they work on gaining Canadian experience or building local connections that can help them access professional opportunities.
4. Overqualification and Discrimination
   Despite their advanced education and professional experience, some Filipino immigrants face challenges related to overqualification. Employers may be hesitant to hire someone with a higher level of education or extensive experience than required for a position, fearing the candidate will leave once a better opportunity arises. Additionally, racial discrimination can also play a role. Some Filipino professionals may face biases based on their ethnicity or country of origin, making it harder to secure employment in their field. These combined factors lead many to accept survival jobs as a temporary solution to financial needs.
5. Economic Pressures and Immediate Financial Needs
   Immigrants to Canada often face high living expenses in their new country, including rent, utilities, and the cost of living. For many, the priority becomes securing any form of employment that can generate income, even if it is not aligned with their professional background. In addition to financial pressures, many Filipino immigrants arrive with family members who also depend on their income, which further intensifies the urgency to find any work available. Survival jobs provide a quick way to address these immediate financial needs while they figure out the long-term strategy for entering their professional field.
6. Cultural Expectations and Family Support
   In Filipino culture, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of family and ensuring that family members are financially supported. Many Filipino immigrants feel the pressure to send money back to relatives in the Philippines or to help family members settle in Canada. This cultural expectation can push them to take any job available to meet financial obligations. Taking a survival job, even if it does not align with their skills or qualifications, becomes a necessary action to meet the immediate demands of supporting their loved ones.

How Do Survival Jobs Help Filipino Immigrants?

1. Providing Financial Stability
   The primary benefit of survival jobs is that they provide an immediate source of income, helping Filipino immigrants to stay afloat financially as they go through the credentialing and job-searching process. This income can help pay for basic needs such as housing, transportation, groceries, and utilities. Without this immediate source of money, many immigrants would struggle to support themselves and their families.
2. Improving Language Skills
   While survival jobs are often unrelated to a person’s profession, they offer an opportunity to practice and improve language skills, particularly English. Communicating with customers, colleagues, and supervisors in a workplace setting can enhance language proficiency, which is essential when applying for professional jobs. Survival jobs can also help Filipino immigrants learn Canadian workplace terminology, making it easier to transition into their chosen field later on.
3. Building Canadian Work Experience
   Even if the work is not in the individual’s professional field, survival jobs provide valuable Canadian work experience. This experience can be used to demonstrate a strong work ethic, responsibility, and reliability to future employers. While survival jobs may not be glamorous, they help immigrants become accustomed to Canadian work culture, which can be an important stepping stone to more advanced career opportunities in the future.
4. Networking Opportunities
   Survival jobs allow Filipino immigrants to meet people, build connections, and network, which can eventually lead to opportunities in their field. By working in the community, individuals may find mentors or people who can help guide them in their professional journey. Networking in non-professional environments may sometimes be just as crucial as making connections in professional spaces, particularly in a new country.

When Do Filipino Professionals Transition from Survival Jobs?

The timeline for transitioning from survival jobs to professional employment can vary widely depending on several factors:

1. Credential Recognition and Licensing
   For Filipino professionals who need to go through credential recognition or licensing exams, the transition may take anywhere from several months to a few years. Once their credentials are recognized and they pass the required exams, they are more likely to be able to find work in their chosen field.
2. Improved Language Skills
   If language proficiency is a barrier, the transition may occur once the individual has improved their language skills or passed the necessary language proficiency exams required for their profession.
3. Gaining Canadian Experience
   Building Canadian work experience takes time, but survival jobs help immigrants gain a foothold in the labor market. Once they have established local experience and built their professional networks, they are more likely to find job opportunities in their field.

Conclusion

Many Filipino professionals take survival jobs upon arriving in Canada due to a combination of credential recognition challenges, language barriers, a lack of Canadian work experience, discrimination, and economic pressures. While these jobs may not align with their qualifications, they provide the financial stability and immediate income that is crucial for survival in a new country. Over time, as Filipino immigrants go through the process of credential evaluation, improve their language skills, and build networks, they are able to transition into their professional careers. However, the journey from survival jobs to professional employment is often long and filled with obstacles, requiring resilience, patience, and determination.

References

• Filipino Immigrants in Canada: Challenges and Successes by Carla G. Lopez (2020).
• Credential Recognition and Immigrant Integration by Dr. Jane MacDonald (2018).
• The Immigrant Experience in Canada: Employment, Work, and Success by Linda Zhao (2019).