Young migrant workers are used to ‘job churn’

Young migrant workers are used to ‘job churn’

This is in response to public comments about precarious employment made by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Liberal MP for Toronto Centre on October 22.

When Finance Minister Bill Morneau said that young Canadians should get used to what he called ‘job churn’—having short-term work, high employment turnover—he stated as fact what has been happening in the lives of most people under 30 since the day they graduate. More importantly, his remarks can be read to no surprise as im/migrants have been going through this cycle for decades so redundant that everyone considers it a logical phase in the proverbial immigrant dream. This correlation, between young workers and immigrants, is vital since it is a way to have a sober look at the repercussions of the said remarks.

By now, everyone somehow has a good grasp of what millennials go through: soaring debt levels and the squeeze of the job market plus the anxiety these cause. Yet, popular discourse paints millennials as either not engaged or actively disengaged at work. General view is that of a lazy, decadent, whiny generation whose financial instability is their own cosequence. What Morneau’s remarks actually prove is not true. That what is happening is something systemic. That apparently the best the federal government can offer are band-aid solutions.

This is not very far from the migrant experience. Workers, who are themselves fleeing miserable conditions from peripheral countries, are de-professionalized and are made to fit the needs of the host country. Irregular and shift work shape their employment trajectories, while low incomes create household circumstances and affect the affordability of university education. Children of immigrants from the Philippines, for instance, are carrying double the burden. Some gravitate towards the healthcare and domestic worker sector as it is associated with immigration channels despite passing a period of precarious status. This trend also causes family separation over a long time.

Why the link? Because statements like Morneau’s have the potential to unleash racial tensions where ‘foreigners’ are stealing jobs either by being admitted here, or work being outsourced abroad. Admitting thousands of refugees, which is both a humanitarian and a flashy diplomatic gesture, in this economic climate won’t be easy to process for low-earners already struggling. Questions like “why is it to so hard for young people get a break?” would be linked to problems like “why are there wars for resources?” and “why workers abroad aren’t exactly better off?”

The only good thing about this incident is the minister’s singling out of ‘young’ workers for the simple reason that this generation won’t retreat to nostalgic ‘good old days’ or some illusive immigrant success story. It came from the horse’s mouth, masquerading as opposition while functioning as an indispensable support to the system. Regardless, there will still be people under this neoliberal policy of Canada (not all of them immigrants, but disproportionately so) who work shifts and multiple jobs in a lifetime to make ends meet.

Why the need to break the silence? Changes to employment standards can raise the floor for all workers, giving them greater job and income security. Permanent immigration status can ensure the rights and dignity of all migrant workers are respected. Free tuition fees and culturally relevant education, alongside stronger public services, can provide substantial benefits to new generations to come. Beyond adapting above reforms, much of the ‘churning’ is about the movement building below. The way forward is to be done collectively.

Sulong Kabataan — Nov.18-20. Sumapi sa Anakbayan!

Eric Abalajon, member, Anakbayan-Toronto