Working from (a New) Home: Tensions Faced by Remote Working Immigrants in Canada

Samantha Jackson and Suzanne Huot ()
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Samantha Jackson: Department of Linguistics and Graduate Centre for Academic Communication, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2Z9, Canada
Suzanne Huot: Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: employment; immigration; remote work; capital; integration; case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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