Economist says there's a skills mismatch between some newcomers and where they work

A Memorial University economics professor says employers in Newfoundland and Labrador are reporting labour shortages and looking for newcomers to fill them — but highly skilled workers aren't always placed in the right field.

Tony Fang said there's a "skills mismatch" between many newcomers and the places they work.

"I think it's a tragedy to some extent," he said.

"Immigrants, we know on average, are highly educated, highly skilled. But, you know, if they are not placed in their field of studies and their human capital is not fully utilized. It's really a waste of highly skilled talents."

On Friday, a group of 13 Filipino newcomers arrived in Hickman's Harbour, where they'll be working in a fish plant. That group includes a nurse and early childhood educator, though neither will be working in those fields, at least for now.

Fang said it's common for highly-skilled workers to take jobs in other fields while getting Canadian certification in their field.

"When they take those low end jobs, they will accumulate financial resources, local labour market experiences, [and] get their professional certification, eventually moving to those high-end occupations," he said.

While speaking with CBC News on Thursday, John Reynald Escasinas — one of the newcomers — said he'd be willing to return to the nursing field after completing additional training.

The province has already looked to workers in countries like India and Jamaica to help plug a nursing shortage.

Fang pointed to the technical trades and production — like fish plants — as other areas with major labour shortages.

Last year, Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a population bump driven by immigration, but that immigration was largely confined to urban areas of the province like St. John's.

Still, temporary foreign workers in rural Newfoundland and Labrador work in a range of industries, from hospitality to fish plants. 

"Of course, there are always labour shortages and the nature of labour is certainly changing in rural," said Municipalities N.L. director of advocacy Deatra Walsh.

But Walsh emphasized that communities can do more to attract and retain newcomers. Housing, recreation and child care — in addition to industry — are all areas for rural communities to focus on when looking to attract newcomers.