Safer Workplaces

Examining de-skilling amongst racialized immigrant women in the Lower Mainland

Safer Workplaces builds on our 2023 project, Short-Changed, which explored deskilling and underemployment among racialized immigrant women in Canada. Through interviews and focus groups with participants, we uncovered a range of challenges—including systemic racism, lack of support in the workplace, and barriers to fair employment despite high qualifications.
In 2024, we expanded this work to focus on workplace health and safety. We found that many racialized immigrant women—especially those with precarious immigration status—face unsafe and exploitative working conditions due to limited knowledge of their legal rights, language and cultural barriers, and fear or mistrust of institutions like WorkSafeBC.
Our project aims to raise public and policymaker awareness while also empowering racialized women with knowledge, legal education, and access to resources. We worked closely with a peer group of lived experience experts and conducted interviews with service providers and labor stakeholders to better understand the systemic barriers to workplace justice.
By centering the voices of racialized women and supporting them to lead change, Safer Workplaces advocates for more inclusive, informed, and equitable labor protections in British Columbia.

    • Pacific Immigrant Resource Society

    • South Asian Legal Clinic of BC

    • Solid State Community Industries

    • Law Foundation of BC

Project Methodology

Our Safer Workplaces project used a community-led, participatory research approach to explore the barriers racialized immigrant women face in understanding and exercising their workplace rights in British Columbia. Guided by anti-racist and intersectional frameworks, we prioritized lived experience as a core form of knowledge.
We formed a support group of 11 racialized immigrant women from diverse countries, legal statuses, and work experiences. Between July 2024 and March 2025, they participated in seven sessions, including legal education workshops (on employment standards and workplace harassment) and storytelling workshops. These sessions empowered participants to reflect on issues like deskilling, discrimination, and unsafe working conditions, while also building a supportive community. All sessions were flexible, offered in hybrid formats, and supported with honoraria, childcare, and refreshments.
In parallel, we conducted interviews with seven key informants—service providers, union reps, legal advocates, and community leaders—to gain further insights into the systemic barriers racialized women face in accessing workplace protections and WorkSafeBC services.
Through a combination of personal storytelling, legal education, and expert interviews, our project centers the voices of racialized women in shaping meaningful, community-driven solutions for safer and more equitable workplaces in BC.