Even a cleaning job is hard to find now in Calgary, say these newcomers

When new immigrants arrive in Calgary without strong English, they often look for clearing jobs or warehouse work. But with unemployment rates among newcomers soaring, even these entry-level jobs are in short supply. 

It's been devastating for those who risked their family's security and livelihoods to come. For the rest of society, researchers and economists say it's a wasted opportunity to integrate these families, match them with jobs Calgary needs filled, and keep them here for the long term.

Mechanic Belachew Mebratu is a good example. He's been applying online and in person for dozens of cleaning, warehouse and other jobs for seven months with no luck. 

He's 42 and now his wife and two kids in Ethiopia can't pay rent or school fees. They had to move back in with her parents, and the children had to drop out of school.

"Professionally, I am a mechanic. But I don't make any choices, I actually apply for any kind of job, including cleaning," said Mebratu, speaking through a translator. "I left my country because of the problems back home. I have a work permit but I cannot get a job here in Calgary."

He's one of a dozen men and women originally from East Africa who gathered at the EthioCare office to share their stories with CBC News. EthioCare is a small community non-profit in northeast Calgary that helps with food and social support.

In Alberta, immigrants who have been in Canada for less than five years are facing an unemployment rate that edged above 16 per cent in August — near what it was during the worst of pandemic shutdowns.

Part of that is the long-standing challenge that immigrants face getting their professional qualifications recognized in Canada. There are also long waiting lists now for English classes. 

But the shortage of these entry-level labour jobs was the biggest surprise for these job seekers.

Etsegenet Gebeyhu spent 18 years living in Uganda as a refugee before a friend sponsored her and her two children. They arrived in Calgary on July 4 this year and she's been trying to gain the skills she needs to get her first Canadian job. 

She took a food safety course and applied for jobs as a line cook or dishwasher, and also in cleaning and as a disability support worker. She's even volunteering at a local thrift store, borrowing funds for the bus ticket across town and hoping this will help with networking and experience. 

"It's just frustrating," she said, speaking a mix of English and Amharic. "I cannot go back to school right now because I have to support my kids.… My older son says I took him out of warm water and put him into freezing cold water. He's 16 and I can't get a job."

Calgary's population has been growing at a record pace since 2022 from a mix of interprovincial migration, immigration and temporary foreign workers. People have been moving here because it's a large city that's more affordable than Toronto or Vancouver. 

Calgary has been gaining jobs to support those newcomers, but not fast enough. At 7.5 per cent, Alberta now has a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country, which averages 6.8 per cent, and it's especially bad for newcomers and young adults.