Working from (a New) Home

Tensions Faced by Remote Working Immigrants in Canada

Bibliographic Data

ID13025311
AuthorsSamantha Jackson (0000-0001-5676-9650, University of Toronto), Huot (0000-0002-1276-0969, University of British Columbia, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume15
Issue10
Pages271-271
Publication date2025-09-28
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocieties (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2075-4698 • E-ISSN: 2075-4698
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/soc15100271
OpenAlexW4414610992
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited27

Remote work has become a prevalent work model in Canada but there is limited research on how immigrants experience this type of work. This paper shares thematic findings from an instrumental case study that explored such experiences in two of Canada’s largest immigrant-receiving provinces. We interviewed 21 highly educated remote workers from the Global South who had immigrated to Canada in the last 10 years. We generated three themes from a reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts. (1) Shifting labour market value: despite enhancing their skillsets, many participants still faced labour market devaluation, which led to feelings of insecurity. (2) Occupational flexibility: participants enjoyed the flexibility remote work provided but often could not draw distinct boundaries between work and home. (3) Socialization and belonging: being physically removed from the workplace affected participants’ connections with others within and outside of the workplace. Participants viewed hybrid work as a possible solution for achieving better balance. Using a Bourdieusian lens, we conceptualize the Canadian job market as a site where social inequalities are reproduced by employers and immigrants. We suggest that greater governmental and workplace support systems for socialization, integration, mentorship and building cultural awareness could help immigrants better achieve their career goals

Feeling · Flexibility (engineering · Immigration · Precarious work · Reflexivity · Socialization · Thematic analysis · Work (physics · Workforce · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Migration and Labor Dynamics

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