Mexican seismologist working at Amazon warehouse part of overqualified immigrant workforce
Raul González-Herrera was a university professor and civil engineer in Mexico. After three years in Ottawa, he’s an Amazon sorter, picker and packer
Raul González-Herrera came to Ottawa five years ago from Chiapas, Mexico, where he worked as a university professor, because he was convinced it was the best place to raise his two children.
He remains convinced of that fact even as he has struggled to put his considerable education to work in this country.
A civil engineer, González-Herrera holds a PhD in earth sciences and has published dozens of papers on seismology and earthquake engineering, but the 51-year-old has not been able to find a job here related to his field.
Instead, he has worked for the past three years as a sorter, picker and packer at the Amazon fulfillment centre in Barrhaven.
“I feel frustrated in certain ways, but in other ways, I’m just happy to do something: It’s the way I can obtain money to buy groceries,” González-Herrera said in an interview.
“It’s hard to understand the way the job market functions here. I think it’s hard to compete if you do not have Canadian work experience.”
