How Do English-speaking Caribbean Immigrants in Toronto Find Jobs? Exploring the Relevance of Social Networks

The study examined obstacles faced by Caribbean immigrants in the Toronto labour market. In-depth interviews examined their lived labour market experiences, focusing on strategies adopted to find jobs and obstacles faced, highlighting the relevance of social capital--in this study defined as access to social networks. Respondents were generally frustrated with conventional methods of job search and many felt that they had experienced labour market discrimination. The use of social networks was by far the most successful job search strategy reported and several participants believed that the only way to secure employment in Toronto was through a referral. Keywords: Race discrimination, gender-based discrimination, immigration policy, social capital, labour market Cette etude se penche sur les difficultes qui confrontent les immigrants des Caraibes sur le marche du travail de Toronto. Des entrevues en profondeur, portant sur leurs experiences vecues face a ce marche, se concentrent sur les strategies utilisees dans leur recherche d'emploi et sur les obstacles rencontres, tout en soulignant l'importance que jouent leurs ressources sociales, definies par cette etude comme etant leur acces aux reseaux sociaux. En general, les participants rapportent eprouver de la frustration, s'ils utilisaient les methodes conventionnelles de recherche d'emploi; plusieurs expriment se sentir victimes de discrimination dans le milieu du marche du travail. Leur recours aux reseaux sociaux se revela etre de loin le meilleur moyen de succes parmi leurs strategies de recherche d'emploi. Certains participants croient que leur seule chance de trouver un emploi a Toronto est d'etre referes, ou introduits, a des employeurs eux-memes recommandes. Mots cles: Discrimination raciale, discrimination fondee sur le genre, la politique d'immigration, capital social, marche du travail
INTRODUCTION This paper draws from a doctoral dissertation that examined factors beyond human capital that influenced labour market outcomes for immigrants to Toronto from Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. [...]