Grassroots Support for Racialized and Politicized Job-Seekers

Looking for a job can be a miserable experience. This is doubly true when you factor in the additional barriers faced by many newcomers. And all of this is sharply compounded in our current moment, as so many people speaking out in favour of justice, liberation, and human rights are being targeted for repercussions by employers.

The New Roots Network (NRN) is a grassroots experiment in Toronto taking action in response.

The Need for a Network

A lot of us know from experience that it takes a village to find a job – a strong support system and an extensive network can make all the difference. But many jobseekers, especially newcomers, don’t have access to such support systems and networks. 

In a study conducted by Western University’s NEST and Pathways to Prosperity (P2P), a participant with years of experience working in Ontario’s settlement sector notes that newcomers’ experience with finding a job in Canada varies greatly depending on how well connected they are. “Families that I work with in [the region] who are international families, refugees, for example, with no family, no connections when they arrive, it can be more difficult for them.”

Of the few jobs that are advertised externally, employers rely on highly subjective criteria such as “Canadian experience” and “culture fit” to inform their hiring decisions. With a majority of the newcomers to Canada being racialized, such hiring practices effectively shut out racialized newcomers from our job market. 

New Roots Network is fighting back.

The idea for NRN initially came about when its co-founders (who have requested anonymity to protect their identities and the identities of their community members) were trying to find effective ways to support pro-Palestine activists, students, and employees who have faced repercussions at their workplace.  

Since October 7, 2023, Canada has seen a rise in employer retaliation against people who have spoken out about Israel’s escalation of colonial violence in Palestine. Notable cases include the removal of then-MPP Sarah Jama from the Ontario NDP caucus after she became the first elected representative in Canada to issue an official statement in support of Palestine in the post-October 7 context. And more recently, Katherine Grzejszczak, a York Region paramedic, was fired over a social media comment criticising Israel’s actions in Gaza. 

While these cases and a handful of others have drawn the public support they deserve through media attention, the vast majority are ignored by the media and are therefore unable to generate wider solidarity and pressure. 

A report by York university’s Islamophobia Research Hub found that in the six months following October 7, 2023, there were 345 reports from individuals who had experienced job losses or forced leaves because of their support of Palestine. The report has highlighted that the real numbers are likely to be much higher as many incidents go unreported because of fear of further repercussions. 

The co-founders of New Roots Network decided to do something about it: “After a lot of conversations and brainstorming we arrived at this initiative as the best way to provide meaningful support on the ground.”  

However, they realized very quickly that they needed to extend this initiative beyond its initial context to include the wider community of racialized and politicized job-seekers who have historically faced huge barriers to employment. 

One key barrier that they identified is a lack of the kinds of connections that can be crucial to finding jobs and building careers. At present, an estimated 65-85% of jobs in Canada are never publicly advertised. Instead, hiring managers rely on a pool of existing connections or colleagues to fill openings. 

As one NRN co-founder notes, “There are many barriers that racialized and politicized job-seekers, especially newcomers, face. Employment opportunities are heavily gatekept by a system that relies on referrals and networking. We are hoping to directly challenge this in Toronto.“

Employment Services Currently Fall Short for Racialized Newcomers

The job search process for newcomers is often an isolating experience centred around assimilation. Many newcomer organizations offering employment services focus on getting the newcomers they identify as “economically productive” to assimilate into the job market in a way that best serves the economy, not the job-seeker. 

The Western University study mentioned earlier, which examined barriers experienced by racialized newcomers while accessing settlement services in Southwestern Ontario, found that many participants reported significant difficulties in their interactions at the organizations at which they were seeking settlement support, including with specific settlement workers, interpreters, administrative staff, and case managers.

“They made it clear to me that I need to work a survival job, nothing more,” said one Ethiopian woman who participated in the study. “For people who have an advanced, professional level of experience, it’s not a place to go. They told me ‘You’re expecting a lot. You have the expectations of Canada, but it’s not real.’ Then they told me that everyone who comes from my country is happy with a labour job.” 

Employment services by settlement organizations include things like resume and cover letter workshops, mock interviews, and language classes, as well as training on Canadian workplace culture, all of which are helpful to a degree. Often, their primary goal is to reduce labour shortages in Canada – according to the IRCC, Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth – which shapes the kinds of supports they provide.  

NRN has different priorities. As one co-founder puts it, “We reject any form of hiring that requires our community members to shrink themselves in any capacity. A key goal is to ensure that our community members are able to stay confident, connected, and true to themselves throughout their job search by creating a process that respects their skills, experience, and identities.”  

NRN’s Solution? A networking pool rooted in mutual aid over gatekeeping

Multiple studies make the point that referrals are crucial in the job search process. However, as pointed out by ACCESS Employment, such referrals are often a direct result of networking, which is a barrier for many newcomers who do not have a large network. 

Mary-Grace Nirere, a newcomer from Rwanda, reflects on this in an article published by The Philanthropist Journal, an online outlet providing news and analysis on the charitable and non-profit sector in Canada: “You see a list of in-demand skills, but nobody tells you how to connect with the right people. I completed a master’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan in hopes of Canadian education, paving my path to a job in my field. Now I am told that I need Canadian experience to find relevant work. Professional connections are critical in Canada, and they are difficult to make.” 

This frustration echoes the findings from the NEST study, in which several newcomers emphasized the importance of enhancing support networks to improve the settlement experience, particularly for those entering Canada as refugee claimants and resettled refugees. The study points out that they often lack the close networks that provide support upon arrival (i.e., family and friends), especially those sharing their cultural background, language, and traditions. This situation contrasts with newcomers who arrive under programs like family class, who typically have more established support systems. 

NRN is set on breaking down this barrier, by building a networking and referral ecosystem that prioritizes those who have the least access to jobs, rather than the privileged few who have access to connections and resources. 

Re-imagining the newcomer’s experience of searching for employment

The intake process at NRN is designed to be easy and accessible for community members. Job-seekers begin by completing the intake form in NRN’s Instagram bio, which asks basic questions related to things like contact information and job preferences. This is then followed up with a friendly introductory chat with one of the co-founders. 

Job-seekers can also indicate in the intake form if they belong to any of NRN’s priority groups – a key piece of information that is factored in to ensure an intersectional approach. One of the co-founders explains that they “currently prioritize Congolese, Sudanese, and Palestinian community members as well as those that have lost their jobs due to their pro-Palestine stance, and then further prioritize them depending on how far along they are in their job search process.” 

Employers follow a similar process. They fill out an initial intake form followed by a conversation to further understand their hiring approach and whether they would be a good fit with NRN’s key pillars – racial justice, solidarity, and community care.  

By building a supportive network of like-minded employers, referral providers, and job-seekers, NRN hopes to make the job hunt process an affirming one that might even be filled with optimism and exploration. They are working to create a process supported by warm connections fostered through a community-care framework. 

“We are not a recruitment agency,” the co-founders emphasize. “We are a grassroots initiative that is challenging what the job hunt process looks and feels like for our community members.”

In its initial months, New Roots Network is focussed on generating awareness responsibly. They are spreading the word mainly through informal, progressive networks to ensure their outreach stays grounded in care and trust. Protecting the anonymity of their community members is in the front and centre of their work. This approach is especially crucial at a time when, as highlighted by the  Islamophobia Research Hub study, there is a record number of cases that specifically involve anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination. In the current political climate, it is likely that this has included many instances of doxing and blacklisting in employment experiences.

Building towards something bigger

As an initiative committed to being hyper-local in order to stay true to its grassroots origins, its co-founders are aware that there are limitations to what they can achieve on their own. They emphasize that while there is a critical need for solutions such as NRN, substantial structural barriers to employment will remain for racialized and politicized job-seekers, especially newcomers, until “there are many more initiatives both at grassroots and institutional levels specifically focussed on removing systemic barriers.” 

They remain hopeful that the initiative will inspire others to take action and that, collectively, we can reshape the job-seeking experience, especially for communities that have been historically excluded and for those that continue to do the important work of fiercely speaking up against genocide.

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