Explaining the Deprofessionalized Filipino: Why Filipino Immigrants Get Low-Paying Jobs in Toronto

Processes of labour market subordination among Filipino immigrants to Canada have been widely observed in recent years, but the reasons for them have usually been assumed to be typical of all immigrant groups. While some processes behind deprofessionalization and mismatched skills in the labour market are indeed generic and experienced by all immigrants arriving with non-Canadian credentials and experience, particular groups experience the labour market in specific ways. In this paper, we seek to provide a nuanced assessment of the factors behind the deprofessionalization of Filipino immigrants in particular, by drawing attention to a mixture of cultural, economic, social and institutional circumstances that shape the experience of this group. We argue that the distinctive labour market integration processes affecting Filipino immigrants requires attention by policy makers, and by implication we also suggest the importance of considering the distinctive labour market experiences of other specific groups. The generic immigrant experience that so often forms the basis of quantitative or institutional assessments of labour market integration should not be assumed to be universally applicable.