Looking for a job shouldn’t be this hard …

Recently, I was asked by a college student to speak about the barriers faced by people who are seeking employment in rural areas. We spoke for nearly an hour and when the conversation was nearly finished, he commented that he hadn’t realized there were so many barriers and how where you lived could make such a difference.

The conversation was positive, despite the barriers, because the first step in overcoming barriers is to realize they exist and then figure out how to “workaround” them, to go over, under, around, or to “blow them up” figuratively. Although brief, these were the barriers we discussed.

Lack of Safe and Affordable Housing in communities where work is available.  We have a housing crisis nationwide, but it is at a crisis level in small and medium-sized communities.  People cannot afford to live in our communities; and the number of people experiencing homelessness and hopelessness when trying to find a safe and affordable place to live increases daily.  In my region, when housing becomes available, often it is in communities isolated from work opportunities, and if refused, a person risks dropping to the end of the line and another 4-5 years on the waiting list. It has taken decades to get to this point in the housing crisis and it will take decades to solve this barrier.  What Can We Do:  Lobby our politicians to build safe “geared-to-income” housing in every community, especially ones where employment opportunities exist.  Mixed-density housing, including apartment buildings, is what is needed. 

Lack of any Subsidized Public Transportation.  People who live in major cities take public transportation as a given.  I live in Grey/Bruce, these two counties have a combined geographic area equivalent to the Greater Toronto Area with no public transportation.  People with skills and the desire to work are virtual prisoners in their small communities because they can’t afford to purchase and maintain a vehicle and insurance or don’t have a license or any way to get one.  What Can We Do:  Ask local politicians to forgo “tax cuts” and support the community needs and for everyone to realize that public transit is not only good for empowering vulnerable and low-income populations, it encourages reducing vehicles on the road and is good for our environment.

Insufficient Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Centres – One in four people, according to my Mental Health First Aid course, will experience some form of mental health or addiction issue this year, yet the stigma attached to these issues is a barrier for people who live with them.  Worse yet is the waiting time for help; often limited spaces are available, and a person has to wait months for appointments and treatment.  Additionally, fuelled by political rhetoric and misconceptions too many people view addiction as a criminal issue rather than the trauma-induced health care issue it should be.  What Can We Do – Learn about the issues; learn about alternative trauma-based solutions; don’t believe politicians who say there are simple solutions to complex problems; pressure governments to provide more resources, but most importantly, change our attitudes towards people who experience these issues.

Food Insecurity as a symptom of Poverty – It is difficult to work, much less find work if you do not have enough food to eat.  Food insecurity is a substantial issue in virtually every community in our county.  One in seven do not have enough food, and the problem is increasing in scope.  Donating more food to food banks and community meal programs is not the permanent answer; food insecurity is only a symptom of the larger poverty issue.  What can we do – We need to learn more about this issue; and commit to concepts like Second Harvest’s Food Rescue to divert usable food from landfills, as in Canada, more than 50% of food is wasted. Paying workers a Living Wage is a vital step; increasing support plans such as the Ontario Disability Support Plan and Ontario Works to cover what it really costs to live are also necessary steps to breaking the poverty spiral.

Community and Organizational Attitudes towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness – Canada is a country with ongoing systematic racism, and while better than the United States under Donald Trump, we still have much work to do to be truly inclusive for everyone.  The attitudes of individuals and organizations must change.  What can we do – We need to ensure workplaces are fully compliant and accessible for people who live with disabilities.  We need to learn and appreciate that people who live with disabilities have a right to good jobs and to be able to contribute to our communities.   

Lack of awareness of community and governmental support programs – I believe the concept of a complex and fully funded social safety net is a myth; however, the limited supports that are available are not as widely known as they should be.  In Ontario, chronically underfunded programs such as ODSP, OW, and community organizations such as the Poverty Tax Force, Bridges out of Poverty, the United Ways, 211, and many more are often working and doing great work without being universally known to the people who need them the most.  What can we do – Learn about and use 211 to learn about resources available in your region, make a contribution of time or money, and attend community meetings about local issues.   

Lack of the tools to find work – Successfully finding a job requires skills and techniques, and few of us are born with that ability.  In my experience, some basic instruction and assistance can make a substantial difference to anyone regardless of their previous success in job searching.  What can we do – Use the services available from your community, refer and share them with your friends, family, and colleagues who are searching for a job or a new one.

Opportunities for work in communities – In many of our rural communities, there are not enough jobs for the people who are looking for them.  This fact, combined with the lack of public transport and the high cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle, is an almost insurmountable barrier for many people.  What can we do – We can lobby governments; private utilities, and employers could make working remotely more attractive; it worked during the pandemic and may be a good solution today, particularly for those people without access to transportation.   

Job seekers need the experience to get a job, but no one will hire them to get that experience – We have a substantial need for replacement skilled trades and we have people wanting to do those jobs; however, it is very difficult for job seekers to find someone to take them onboard to get the experience they require because some employers are afraid once they get that experience they will leave.  What can we do – Employers and the government(s) need to work harder to deal with this issue through subsidies and by providing a market salary and also appreciating people will take advantage of opportunities just like they do.  We can encourage our friends and family to pursue trades as an equal opportunity for advancement as much as we encourage those same people to attend University.

Lack of mentors and role models – Mentors are a great resource to learn the “soft skills” of working; work ethic, dedication, responsibility, how to act and how not to act, passion, and leadership, are all skills mentors and role models can provide.  What can we do – Become a mentor, stop saying things like “Kids today just don’t want to work,” and appreciate what they need is someone to show them and instill in them a desire to want to work; and remember, criticism never inspires it only causes resentment.

Fear – What if I’m not good enough; What if I get fired; What if I make the wrong choice; What if my current employer finds out I am looking for another job; What if I can’t afford to pay my bills, What if no one will see my value, and hundreds of other very real fears stop people from changing jobs, finding jobs, and keeps them in jobs they hate because they are afraid. What can we do – Fear results from very real concerns but will recede when illuminated.  The best way to defeat or overcome fear is with a plan, facts, and execution of that plan.  We can support and encourage people who are experiencing this; we can appreciate this when interviewing people and helping them overcome their fears, and even when we don’t hire them, we can share with them ways they might improve so the next interviewer may hire them.

Lack of confidence – As with fear, the lack of confidence will prevent a job seeker from being successful.  Losing a job or searching for a job can destroy confidence; working very hard to do well in an interview only to not be offered a job can be very discouraging.  What can we do – When we lose confidence, we need to avoid isolating ourselves; we need to talk to people who can provide a wider experience and perspective.  Confidence, like any other skill, needs to be built and rebuilt constantly, and with each step forward and even those steps backward, we can improve and become more resilient.

Inflexible measures of success – Government programs can have defined thresholds of success or entry that preclude access for people.  Societal expectations of what success looks like can be a significant barrier for job seekers that prevents people from pursuing their passions.  What can we do – We can learn more about exceptions and exceptional people who have been “pigeonholed,” and we can encourage and actively help them break out of inflexible models.  We can change our biases and false beliefs by seeing there are different concepts of success.

This has been a brief introduction to some of the barriers job seekers in our communities face.  Additionally, there are barriers to new members of our community from other countries, there are barriers to people rejoining society after being incarcerated, and there are language barriers as well.  Overwhelmingly we can become more informed; become involved, and realize that collectively, what we can do is to provide an example of how to change and that change is possible to mitigate and help remove barriers.

Thank you, and good luck,

Paul