Canadian Syrian refugees can't find jobs

[Independent voter]

80% of refugees coming to the US become self supporting within 6 months time. Why can't Canada do what we do?

Give them crappy benefits and put them in housing where they hear gunfire at night. Suddenly they get jobs and move to better neighborhoods.






http://globalnews.ca/news/2768658/fi...gee-newcomers/



OTTAWA – Between them, the three Syrian men gathered in an atrium at Ottawa’s city hall on Thursday have 16 children. What none of them have is a job.

They say the pressure is mounting, though not only because of money. As five of the 15,412 government-assisted refugees resettled by the federal Liberals since November, they receive a year of income support and there’s a while yet before that money runs out.

What is at stake right now is feeling like they belong in the country they are now calling home.

“It’s getting depressing,” said Mahmoud Al Ahmad, 46, through a translator. He worked as a long haul truck driver in his native city of Damascus, and has four kids now living in an east-end Ottawa apartment.

“The longer I stay at home, the sicker I feel.”

Their children are in school, making new friends and settling in before their eyes, said Mohammed al Saltan, 31, who has seven kids and an eighth on the way.

“The children are busy, they are happy,” he said. “We are just sitting around.”
READ MORE: Syrian refugee resettlement program $136M under budget in 1st year

On a scorching June morning in Ottawa, they did do more than just sit.

Despite fasting for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, the men were among 250 newly-arrived Syrians registered for a job fair put on by Refugee 613 – the Ottawa organization focused on helping the 1600 Syrians who have arrived in the nation’s capital – along with another group that has worked for years helping newcomers find work.

The Syrian fair is unique, said Mengistab Tsegaye, executive director of World Skills. While some of the companies present have worked with his organization before, others are specifically interested in hiring Syrians to help. To line up the job fair, simultaneous translation for employers was required and child care services arranged so the women could come as well.

Then there was talking to Syrians about what to expect.

“When you tell people that there will be employers there, there is an expectation that they will come away with a job,” Tsegaye said.

“We do have to manage that.”

WATCH: Immigration minister fires back at opposition claims Syrian refugee resettlement has stalled

Ismail Mohammed, 31, who worked as a painter in Syria, said he expects it will take a great deal of time to land a job because he speaks very little English, yet.

“I’m willing to do anything, in any field,” he said through a translator.

The translator was a Syrian refugee himself. Alaa Al Olaby, 29, came to Canada only a few months ago through a private sponsorship group. With his accounting degree and ease in English, he has rapidly picked up several jobs, including helping other Syrians settle in Ottawa.

“I’m passionate, I’m enthusiastic and I’m not waiting around,” he said. “Everyone is trying to help themselves.”

His skill set compared to those of the men he was shepherding around the job fair highlights the stark contrast between the two major streams of Canada’s refugee resettlement program: privately sponsored and government assisted.

READ MORE: Refugee use of food banks could be ‘cultural,’ says John McCallum

Statistics on the Syrian program show that around 60 per cent of the privately sponsored refugees speak English or French while more than 70 per cent of government assisted refugees speak neither.

[Dextroden]

Why not volunteer work? That was a huge recommendation for fighting boredom and stress during my unemployment.

That doesn't fix the job/money thing, but it's something for their complaint of not having anything to do and not feeling a part of the country.

[Drungan]

What is this war between US and Canada that are going on lately ?

[Kalis]

This thread needs an angry face in the title.

[Blobfish]

get them to build some Mosques

[I Push Buttons]

80% of refugees coming to the US become self supporting within 6 months time. Why can't Canada do what we do?

1. A lot of refugees/asylum seekers in the US are skilled. We take in thousands from Iraq/Afghanistan every year, most are skilled/multilingual, etc... Translators, contractors, etc.
2. Many have a community waiting for them... Cubans, for example, in 2015 45,000 Cuban refugees settled in Florida alone, there is a huge Cuban community in Florida and several aid groups tailored specifically to helping recent Cuban refugee arrivals to get situated.
3. We take in a good number of refugees from places like China and Iran, most from those places are political dissenters who are almost always well educated.

[Septik]

this is ok, the people that were born here have just as hard a time finding work.

but hey, at least they still got their $61 a day for food and year of income support!

[Deleted]

Why not volunteer work? That was a huge recommendation for fighting boredom and stress during my unemployment.

That doesn't fix the job/money thing, but it's something for their complaint of not having anything to do and not feeling a part of the country.

Who in their right mind would work for free?

[Redcrow]

Who in their right mind would work for free?

You don't really understand the concept of "volunteer" do you?

[GennGreymane]

Quick! We need Tenn to help these people!

[Arrashi]

I blame canadian space program. How can a rocket scientist find a job in that enviroment ?

[Gully Man]

Not really a surprise. 55,000 of the 163,000 asylum seekers who came to Sweden last year were given permission to work and only 500 have jobs up until now. So many doctors and engineers going to waste

[GennGreymane]

You don't really understand the concept of "volunteer" do you?

the money thing as you call it is kinda important

[Deleted]

But Canada is the least xenophobic(tm) country in the west.

[Redcrow]

the money thing as you call it is kinda important

The guy explicitly said it was to cope with the boredom during unemployment and even said himself it didn't help with money.

"Why not volunteer work? That was a huge recommendation for fighting boredom and stress during my unemployment.

That doesn't fix the job/money thing, but it's something for their complaint of not having anything to do and not feeling a part of the country."

[Dextroden]

the money thing as you call it is kinda important

Hence why:

1. I EXPLICITLY MENTIONED that was a suggestion to combat boredom and lack of connection.

2. The article and another poster acknowledge the government is babysitting them in the mean time.

[Frozen Death Knight]

You don't really understand the concept of "volunteer" do you?

Well, volunteering when you have to actively find a job is not exactly a good way to spend your time being unemployed, even if it could combat some of that boredom as you said. Volunteering is more suited to the kind of people that actually have their own income already and can dedicate some hours into doing this sort of work.

[dacoolist]

C to the Anada does everything a bit different. I think normal jobs here in Murica - like the one I have, don't necessarily require a degree, etc.. Canada is like degree for working at McDonalds and stuff lol

[GennGreymane]

Hence why:

1. I EXPLICITLY MENTIONED that was a suggestion to combat boredom and lack of connection.

2. The article and another poster acknowledge the government is babysitting them in the mean time.

On count 1 I was able to gather that, money is kinda more important though

on count 2 I would assume you dont want people on assistance forever.

[Endus]

Article also makes it clear that a big barrier is that they don't speak much English (or, I would assume, French, if they live in Quebec/New Brunswick). As long as we have language training available, while there's a short-term issue in hirability, they can get that training and their long-term prospects should be much better.