In 2012, when Aleppo — one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities and the industrial and financial centre of Syria — became the key battleground in the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tony Jabbour’s family lost their home, and their growing roofing and waterproofing business. He and his parents and sisters were forced to flee and find a safer location in Syria to start over.
They are not alone. According to a 2023 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), one in three internally displaced Syrians remain within the country, after more than a decade of conflict.
“A lot of people leave their countries from the moment conflict begins. I chose to stay and try to support other displaced Syrians because I lived that experience and I understood the struggles they were going through,” says Jabbour, Recruitment Partner at refugee-led non-profit Jumpstart Refugee Talent. The organization has helped newly settled refugees find meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities since 2016.
In Syria, Jabbour, who is fluent in English and Arabic, connected with international organizations to appeal for funding and support of people within Syria to help them reopen their businesses or find employment. However, increased safety concerns forced him to flee to Canada in 2019. His family joined him in late 2021 and they are all living in the greater Toronto area.
Six months ago, after serving in roles in a few companies, Jabbour joined Toronto-based Jumpstart. He is part of the Talent Hub team, Jumpstart’s virtual job placement program, which works one-on-one with refugees to assess their career needs, map out a career path, and support them in writing a resume and preparing for an interview with a Canadian employer. The Hub also advocates with employers on behalf of refugees with employers and works with them to strengthen their refugee hiring practices.
Photo: Tony Jabbour
As part of ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank’s 10-year $500-million initiative aimed at promoting economic resilience among disadvantaged groups, Jumpstart Refugee Talent received a $500,000 community partnership investment over two years to help increase and accelerate its work with refugees.
“Finding meaningful work is critical to starting a new life, and ScotiaRISE is committed to helping remove barriers to career advancement for disadvantaged or underrepresented groups such as refugees,” Maria Saros, Vice President & Global Head, Social Impact, at Scotiabank, said. “We are proud to support Jumpstart Refugee Talent and their effort in helping refugees recreate a quality life in Canada,” she said.
Jumpstart Refugee Talent contends that Canadian society and the economy benefit greatly by leveraging refugees' skills, rather than having them start at the bottom of the ladder. “We are grateful for Scotiabank’s foresight to futureproof Canada by accelerating the economic inclusion of refugees,” Darrell Pinto, Director of Employment at Jumpstart Refugee Talent, said.
“Thanks in large part to the ScotiaRISE investment, Jumpstart has helped more refugees find meaningful jobs this year. We increased by 80% the number of Canadian employers (including Scotiabank) we collaborated with, saw a 181% rise in referrals of pre-screened refugees to open positions, a 266% jump in the number interviewed and 294% growth in the number of refugees hired,” he added.
Jabbour is among 108.4 million people worldwide at the end of 2022, who according to UNHCR data, were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations. Last year alone, 19 million people around the world were displaced, the largest ever year-over-year increase. While many displaced people never leave their home country, the UNHCR said the number of refugees worldwide in 2022 rose to 35.3 million from 27.1 million a year earlier, the largest increase ever recorded. More than 52% of those refugees were from just three countries: Syria (6.5 million), Ukraine (5.7 million) and Afghanistan (5.7 million).
In 2021, Canada welcomed more than 130,000 refugees. The government of Canada is committed to welcoming at least 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada over the next two years, which is likely to increase the overall number of refugees in the coming years, who will need assistance integrating into society.
The experience of a refugee in Canada is better when they feel welcomed by Canadians.”
Language is a big barrier for many refugees. Jabbour noted that his fluency in English made things a bit easier for him. “I used to spend hours walking in downtown Toronto and talking with people to get a sense of the community,” he said. He recommends every refugee as soon as possible learn the language — English or French — and be proficient in it.
Another big challenge is finding housing. Most landlords ask for a credit score, but when refugees first arrive, they don’t have a credit score, Jabbour said. “I was fortunate to be able to stay at my cousin’s place for nearly a year, which allowed me to find a job, build my credit score, and finally move to my own place.”
Finding employment, however, might be the biggest hurdle. Jabbour’s job search was hampered by the onslaught of COVID-19, and it took him more than six months to find employment. His first job was working for a company that helped organizations with fundraising.
He wished he had known about Jumpstart Refugee Talent when he first arrived. “When I learned about what Jumpstart is trying to do and how and all the initiatives that it’s trying to take I decided that I want to be a part of supporting refugees who are arriving in Canada,” he said.
Photo: Sign welcomes Syrian refugees to Canada at airport
His message to Canadian employers is to give refugees the opportunity to show their worth. The best way for employers to identify who is a refugee, he said, is to reach out to Jumpstart. “We have more than 2,500 clients who are looking for jobs, and we work with employers to help facilitate hiring them.”
Last year, Jumpstart served 1839 refugees from 63 countries, helped some 460 clients find meaningful employment and engaged with 104 employers.
Everyone can play a role in welcoming refugees, he said. “If you know a refugee is living near you, talk to them, give them the opportunity to practice their language skills, and feel a sense of belonging. Support refugee-led businesses.”
He also recommends volunteering with an organization supporting refugees. Professionals can become a mentor and help refugees build a network to advance their career path.
“The experience of a refugee in Canada is better when they feel welcomed by Canadians,” Jabbour said.
Freedom, safety and peace are things many people take for granted. “You don’t realize how important they are until you have to run for your life. Refugees I talk to tell me they are grateful to Canada for opening the doors and giving them the opportunity to be free,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I deserve to live in peace. I deserve to be free. I deserve to have respect. I deserve a life where I don’t have to worry every day that something will happen to me or my family.”
