Home  Features Jobs for newcomers: The results are in
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Jobs for newcomers: The results are in |
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Eighty per cent of prime working-age immigrants find at least one job
within their first two years in Canada, a major national study has
found.
The four-year Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC),
launched by Statistics Canada in 2003, was designed to examine how well
newcomers adjust over time to living in Canada.
In the survey's mid-term report, it found new immigrants aged 25 to 44
had made significant progress integrating into the labour force.
Of the newcomers surveyed, only 56 per cent had found employment during
their first six months in Canada. This figure rose to 80 per cent at
the two-year mark - a significant improvement but still indicative of
the challenges that new immigrants face.
Of the 20 per cent who had not found any employment during this period,
a majority (74 per cent) were women, many of whom were spouses or
dependents of immigrants in the economic category, or immigrants in the
family category.
It is not known how many of these dependents chose not to seek employment.
Of the immigrants who found employment, many worked throughout their
first two years in Canada. Nearly six out of 10 worked
for 18 months or more and three-quarters worked for more than
one year.
The figures however mask some of the disappointments new immigrants face.
After two years, most newcomers had not found employment in the
occupations in which they had intended to work. Of those who found
employment, 33 per cent found a job in their intended occupation
during their first year in Canada, and another nine per cent did
so during their second year.
Additionally, lack of Canadian experience continued to be a major
stumbling block. At six months, the most serious problem or difficulty
for prime working-age immigrants in finding employment was their lack
of experience in the Canadian workforce. This was still the case after
two years.
Many also still reported, as the most serious problem, difficulty in
getting acceptance or recognition for their foreign professional
credentials or educational qualifications, such as diplomas or degrees
obtained in their homeland.
However, despite these challenges, most of the newcomers reported that they were satisfied with their job, StatCan said.
Overall, the employment rate of prime working-age immigrants moved
towards the national average the longer they resided in Canada,
according to the LSIC data.
At 26 weeks after their arrival, 50 per cent of all
immigrants aged 25 to 44 were employed. This
was 30 percentage points below the employment rate of
about 80 per cent among all individuals
aged 25 to 44 in the Canadian population.
This gap is not surprising given that immigrants had a limited amount
of time to get established in the labour force and many settlement
activities to deal with, said StatCan.
At 52 weeks after arrival, the employment rate among prime
working-age immigrants was 58 per cent. This narrowed the gap
to 23 percentage points.
At 104 weeks, or two years after arrival, the employment rate
among prime working-age immigrants was 63 per
cent, 18 percentage points below the national rate of 81
per cent.
Immigrants admitted as principal applicants in the skilled worker
category had an even better record for employment, the report revealed.
At 26 weeks after arrival, the gap in the employment rate
between them and the Canadian population was 20 percentage
points. By 52 weeks, this had narrowed
to 12 points, and by two years, it was down to just
eight points.
The news was best for those who were principal applicants in the
skilled worker category. These individuals are selected based on a
number of criteria including their education, language ability and
employment skills. Immigrants in this category are deemed to be more
likely to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the Canadian
economy.
Among this group, the vast majority, 90 per cent or
about 45,000, found employment during their first two years in
Canada. Of those who did, just under half (48%) found a job in their
intended occupation.
Among the 65,600 prime working-age immigrants who looked for
employment six to 24 months after landing, 71
per cent or 46,500 encountered at least one problem.
Of these individuals, about one out of four cited lack of Canadian work
experience as the most serious problem they encountered. About
one-fifth said the most serious problem was lack of acceptance or
recognition of their foreign work experience or qualifications.
Language barriers were the most serious problem for 15 per cent,
while another 14 per cent cited a shortage of jobs.
Despite these challenges, the share of newcomers who said they were
satisfied with their job increased from 74 per cent six months
after landing to 84 per cent two years after landing.
Related: Jobs, jobs, jobs
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