Q&A with Rupa Banerjee

In October, 2021, Rupa Banerjee began a five-year term as the Canada Research Chair in Economic Inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants. Her first priority is to set up a team of researchers who bring interdisciplinary knowledge and diverse methodological expertise to help her tackle some of the structural challenges underlying Canada’s immigration system.  Her work complements many research initiatives underway at CERC Migration. Recently, Rupa hosted one of CERC Migration’s Working Groups that brought together experts to discuss immigration policies and the labour market experience of foreign-born workers. She is now organizing an upcoming workhop in November on Canadian immigration policy developments in partnership with CERC Migration, the Harney Program in Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies (external link) , and the Munk School of Global Affairs (external link) . CERC Connections had a virtual chat with Rupa to learn more about her plans.

How did your research interest in labour market outcomes for immigrants begin?

Like a lot of people, my research interests started from my own personal experience. I arrived in Canada with my parents and my brother when I was seven years old and saw the struggle that my family went through integrating into workplace culture, finding appropriate employment. Everyone in my community had similar experiences. I had a business degree for my undergrad. I wanted to study labour, employment relations and issues of human resources – that was interesting, but what really led me to choose the topic of immigrants in the labour market for my PhD research was the fact that this was my family’s experience. 

You have been analyzing the labour market outcomes of immigrants to Canada for over 15 years. Is Canada making any progress?   

There is a lot more awareness among policymakers, government and non-governmental organizations of the issues – such as the lack of recognition of credentials, the devaluation of human capital. Government has changed the whole economic immigration system in many ways since my family arrived.  It was very apparent that it was not working as it should. For example, there have been new initiatives, like the Canadian Experience Class, that allow people to gain Canadian experience before they land. 

There is certainly an increase in public awareness. Canada relies on immigrants more than ever, which has been even more apparent since COVID. But well before then, almost every labour policy report highlighted that Canada’s labour force growth is through immigrants. That is something that people finally have understood – how important is immigration, that it’s what builds the country.

Where are the greatest gaps that need improvement?

There are gaps in both the selection and integration process. The selection piece has at least been acknowledged as an important issue. The government has introduced express entry, all these different intake streams, different accreditation requirements, language testing, but getting other stakeholders to become engaged has not been easy.

I gave a talk on immigration at the Global Economic Forum, put on by the Ted Rogers School of Management. The usual suspects were there – larger employers who already are well in tune with immigration and diversity. But missing was small and medium-sized businesses, which account for 90 percent of all employment. Those folks do not usually have the resources and capacity to participate.

Both employers and other institutions like post-secondary institutions play a direct role in selection now, but they don’t play a role in integration nearly as much as they should and so I would like to interrogate what could be done. I also want to look closely at how their role in selection has been shifting the paradigm of immigration in Canada, through the two-step immigration process. To get your foot in the door of the Canadian labour market, you’ve got to have Canadian work experience. So the choices employers make in who they select as temporary foreign workers impact the pipeline of who actually receives permanent resident status.

What research findings have surprised you the most?

I am still surprised how open employers are to me about their bias against immigrants. It is clear that they are often quite unaware of their implicit biases against newcomers. They still consider it acceptable to say – “well you really need that Canadian experience; you need to understand the Canadian way of doing things – to be a candidate.” They don’t see that as arising from prejudice. I find that really surprising. They wouldn’t say out loud  – “we just need that ‘male’ perspective.” But they feel that it is acceptable to emphasize the importance of Canadian-ness. Yet they also say they value diversity. They don’t see the disconnect. 

If your research could change one thing in your field, what would that be?

I would make it such that immigrants are able to live up to the promise that they are given when they arrive in Canada – and that they have the opportunity to live up to the potential that they and their families bring. It is a massive waste, when, with all these efforts, policies, initiatives are put into place, and people upend their lives to come here, yet flounder and don’t live up to those potentials.

 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.