57% of South Asian women in Canada planning to quit their jobs: Study

The key reasons behind the decline in South Asian women workforce in Canada include unsatisfying work, lesser pay as well as the pandemic

More than half (57 per cent) of South Asian women in Canada are planning to leave their jobs for other opportunities, according to a new study.

South Asian women, who are also the largest female immigrant labour force according to the 2016 Census, have the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

The study, released by CulturaliQ in partnership with Pink Attitude, revealed that South Asian women are twice as likely to report unfair treatment in the workplace — 34 per cent compared to the 17 per cent average of all females surveyed and 20 per for all the men surveyed.

These findings are significant considering that over the next five years, 100 per cent of Canada’s labour force growth will be from immigration, especially given that newcomers from South Asia and the Philippines comprised almost 39 per cent of all newcomers in Canada (Immigration Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) in 2018.

The key reasons behind the decline in South Asian women's presence in the Canadian workforce include unsatisfying work, lesser pay as well as the pandemic. Nearly 47 per cent women said are considering leaving the workforce altogether due to the pandemic – compared to the 25 per cent for women and 32 per cent for men in general.

Meanwhile, 58 per cent of those surveyed revealed that they are planning to resign because of empty promises made by work managers about their career progression.

“We have been keenly aware of the ongoing underutilisation of South Asian women in the Canadian workplace. The first step in developing a support plan is to understand the reasons for these statistics then we can go on to demonstrate how incredibly important and valuable this asset is to the current Canadian economy,” said John Stevenson, Founding Partner, CulturaliQ.