THE PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS OF GIG EMPLOYMENT ON THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ONTARIO'S NEW ECONOMIC IMMIGRANT WORKERS

Abstract

Background: Despite arriving in Canada via skilled migration pathways, new economic immigrants are funneled into poorly paid, precarious gig jobs that are incongruent with their education or previous occupational experience due to systemic and structural barriers. This study explores the intersection of precarious gig work and immigrant resettlement trajectories using Bérastégui's (2021) Psychosocial Risk (PSR) Framework. Methodology: Employing a qualitative descriptive design, twelve participants who were new economic immigrants in gig employment were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling from Ontario's urban and semi-urban centers. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed applying Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis informed by the PSR framework. Results: While gig work offers short-term survival advantages, it also entrenches structural exclusion and psychosocial vulnerability. Participants expressed the profound emotional strain caused by income uncertainty, performance-based rating systems, and the absence of formal support structures in gig employment. Several study participants reported a sense of loss of professional identity and devaluation. Social isolation was a dominant theme, as workers often worked in isolation with absence of collegiate networks that commonly accompany traditional employment. The platforms' algorithmic management systems also exacerbated anxiety, with a lack of transparent rules and customer preference taking a role in fostering perceptions of surveillance and exploitation. Furthermore, one key finding was that even in the face of these adversities, some participants exhibited agency as they utilized gig earnings to finance licensing exams or invest in transnational businesses, showing a dual narrative of vulnerability and resilience. Conclusion: New economic immigrants engage in gig work more as a response to systemic exclusion than a choice. Although it allows entry into the labour market, it often does so at the expense of long-term wellbeing, identity, and integration, creating psychosocial risk factors.