Immigration Canada: Statistics Canada

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Manitoba population booms

A map of Canada exhibiting its ten provinces a...

Manitoba’s population is continuing to balloon, new figures show.

According to Statistic Canada, as of April 1, it grew by just over 16,000 people in the last 12 months to reach about 1.25 million. This growth of 1.31 per cent is the biggest growth in the past 40 years.

It’s the third-highest growth rate among all Canadian provinces and well above the national rate of 1.06 per cent.

In the last 10 years, the population rose by 96,700 people, more than twice the growth of the previous ten year period.

"This is equivalent to welcoming another Brandon, Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Steinbach, and Winkler to our province," said Peter Bjornson, the entrepreneurship, training and trade minister.

Statistics Canada estimates that Manitoba received 15,707 new immigrants between April 2010 and April 2011. And there were 16,214 newborns in the province during that period.

Bjorn accredited the Provincial Nominee Program for 75 per cent of all immigration to Manitoba. The program encourages skilled workers from abroad to apply for permanent residency.

Capital region keeps adding jobs

The entrance to Canada's Parliament Hill in Ot...

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Published on July 8, 2011
OBJ Staff Ottawa Business Journal

The National Capital Region continued its run of strong employment growth last month, adding 2,600 new jobs and pushing the unemployment rate down to its lowest level in more than a year and a half, according to Statistics Canada.

Topics :: Statistics Canada , U.S. Labor Department ,Canadian Press , Quebec , Ottawa , Ontario

That brings the number of new jobs created in Ottawa and Gatineau in 2011 to 14,100. By comparison, the region added 6,000 new positions in all of 2010.

In June, most of the local growth came in Gatineau, where 1,900 new jobs were added.

The employment gains, combined with a reduction in the size of the labour force in Ottawa, brought the region’s unemployment rate down from 6.1 per cent to 5.8 per cent. That’s the lowest level since November 2009, when it stood at 5.6 per cent.

Year-over-year, the biggest gains were in the service sector, specifically retail, wholesale, transportation, warehousing, accommodations, food services as well as professional, scientific and technical positions.

The region’s tech sector was flat at 46,000 jobs. Despite reports that the federal government has started eliminating positions within the civil service, the number of public administration positions only declined modestly, to 163,600 jobs in June 2011 compared to 164,100 a year earlier.

Nationally, the Canadian economy created 28,000 jobs last month, helped by a gain the part-time jobs to post its third consecutive month of growth.

The country's unemployment rate held steady in June at 7.4 per cent as the number of people entering the workforce increased, according to Statistics Canada.

The increase in jobs was mainly in the part-time sector, which added 21,000 jobs, compared with 7,000 new full-time jobs.

Economists had expected an overall increase of 10,000 jobs.

The public sector added 51,000 jobs in the month, while there were 22,000 new jobs in the private sector.

However, those gains were offset by a drop of 44,000 in the number of self-employed people in Canada.

The gains were led by the transportation and warehousing industry which saw a gain of 15,000 jobs, while the professional, scientific and technical services sector lost 19,000 jobs.

The construction and manufacturing sectors were little changed for the month.

Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia all posted employment gains in June, while Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador saw losses.

Employment was up 40,000 jobs in Ontario following a slight drop in May.

South of the border, hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month. Employers added the fewest jobs in nine months and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 per cent.

The U.S. Labor Department says the economy generated only 18,000 net jobs in June.

-With reports from the Canadian Press and Associated Press

Severe worker shortages’ forecast for Alberta

BY MARIO TONEGUZZI

CALGARY — A perfect demographic storm is developing in Alberta leading to severe worker shortages for many years to come.
Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta’s Minister of Employment and Immigration, said the province is already starting to see labour shortages in some sectors such as the transportation and hospitality industries.
“There are companies that simply can’t find workers already,” he said. “There are sectors that are already showing inability to readily find employees at competitive price. And that will only escalate as time goes on.
“Overall, we will have severe worker shortages not only in this province but in Western Canada for many, many years to come.”
Lukaszuk said the province is heading into a perfect demographic storm.
“Very rarely do stars align like that,” he said.
Many economists have forecast Alberta’s economy to be a nation-leader in the next couple of years. Many of the Baby Boomer generation are retiring which will create a “massive exodus” of workers. That will create a void in not only numbers but experience in the workforce. The natural population growth is not replacing that exodus. And the retirees will force increased demand for various services from coffee to medical care.
On Friday, Statistics Canada reported that the province’s unemployment rate dipped to 5.4 per cent for the month, down from 5.9 per cent in April. This rate was the third lowest in the country behind Saskatchewan’s 5.0 per cent and Manitoba’s 5.3 per cent. It was also down from 6.7 per cent in May 2010.
Employment increased by 8,500 and over the previous 12 months, employment grew by 2.8 per cent, or 56,300 jobs, the fastest growth rate in the country.
In the Calgary census metropolitan area, the unemployment rate fell to 5.7 per cent in May from 5.9 per cent in April. Statistics Canada said 1,500 jobs were created in the Calgary CMA from the previous month and year-over-year employment grew by 19,200 or 2.7 per cent in the region.
Calgary’s unemployment rate was 7.6 per cent a year ago.
Danica Lelliott, 33, was hired in May to work as a server at the Wurst Restaurant and Beer Hall. As she was job hunting, Lelliott noticed the growing choices that were available to her.
“There are quite a few jobs available — especially in the service industry. People are always hiring if you’re the right kind of person — if you have the experience and have the personality,” she said.
“There’s definitely a demand for people. People are more than willing to hire.”
Michael Fotheringham, research manager at Calgary Economic Development, said the local labour numbers are a positive trend with a gain in full-time employment and a decline in part-time employment.
“I think it means that we’re possibly inching closer to possible labour shortages (and with) increased demand and shifting demographics we may not be too far off the pre-recession unemployment rate,” said Fotheringham.
He said CED is sensing a more positive mood in the business community with further capital spending and job growth in the future. He expects the unemployment rate over the summer months to hold steady but see a further reduction in the fall.

The provincial government has developed a short-term employment forecast tool to identify potential imbalances in the labour market in the near future. Sixteen occupations were listed as having a significant likelihood of shortages in the next three years.
They include retail trade managers; restaurant and food service managers; mechanical engineers; petroleum engineers; computer programmers and interactive media developers; web designers and developers; general practitioners and family physicians; registered nurses; retail trade supervisors; food service supervisors; technical sales specialists, wholesale trade; hairstylists and barbers; estheticians, electrologists and related occupations; construction millwrights and individual mechanics (except textile); heavy-duty equipment mechanics; and motor vehicle body repairers.
In Alberta, full-time employment increased by 18,200 while part-time employment decreased by 9,600 from April to May 2011.
The following industries had the most employment increases in May from the previous month in the province: Construction, 8,600; Health Care and Social Assistance, 6,300; and Information, Culture and Recreation, 5,300.
Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions has established an executive search Calgary-based practice in Alberta to help clients respond to the emerging talent crisis which some reports say will result in a labour shortfall of 77,000 workers over the next 10 years.
“From a human capital perspective, this is a critical time for Alberta,” said Mark Hopkins, managing partner. “We believe that companies must effectively manage the leadership gap being created as an aging workforce retires in ever-increasing numbers. At the same time, we are seeing rapidly increasing activity levels, increased technical and commercial demands, and a significant shortage of specialist technical skills.”
Across the country, the federal agency said employment rose by 22,000 in May, bringing gains over the previous 12 months to 273,000 (1.6 per cent). The employment increase in May, combined with a decline in the number of people looking for work, pushed the unemployment rate down 0.2 percentage points to 7.4 per cent, it said.

mtoneguzzi@calgaryherald.com

Birth rate up for sixth year in a row: StatsCan 2

Image via WikipediaCASSANDRA DRUDI, QMI AGENCY

It's not a baby boom. It's not even enough to replace our own numbers. But more so than other parts of the developed world, Canadian women are becoming moms.

The number of births in Canada rose in 2008 for the sixth consecutive year, according to data released Wednesday.

In 2008, there were 377,886 live births in Canada. That number reflects a rise in every province and territory other than the Northwest Territories.

The rise in births seems to be slowing down, however, with a 2.7% increase in 2008, down from rises of 3.6% and 3.7% in the previous two years, Statistics Canada said.

That reflects a total fertility rate in 2008 of 1.68 children per woman - the highest total fertility rate on record since 1992, when it was 1.69.

While the rate is still "well below" the generational replacement level of 2.1 children per woman - the rate to replace the country's population in the absence of migration - it is still above other developed nations such as Italy at 1.39, and Japan at 1.21.

The numbers in Canada can be attributed to more women reaching their late 20s and early 30s, the ages at which the likelihood women will have a child is highest, said David Foot, an economics professor at the University of Toronto.

Foot, the author of Boom, Bust, Echo, a book about Canadian demographics in the 21st century, says that the recent growth in the number of births can be expected to continue for the next decade or so, as the children of the echo generation reach child-bearing age.

The echo generation are those born to baby boomers, who themselves were born in the post-war period between 1947 and 1966.

"This is the echo of the echo, the grandchildren of the baby boomers," Foot says.

In part, the rise in the national fertility rate can be attributed to a rise in the fertility rate in Quebec, Foot said. More than a third of the total increase in births in 2008 (35%) came from Quebec, StatsCan said. There have been more births there "primarily because of expanded child care," Foot said.

The continued increase in the number of births is likely to have "big implications" for child care in the next four or five years, before going on to affect elementary school enrolments as children grow older, Foot said.

And although the fertility rate is below the generational replacement level, immigration compensates for a fewer births than at other times in the country's history.

"The population of Canada would still be growing without immigration, but at a slower pace," Foot said.

An ideal fertility rate is somewhere between 1.6 and 2.6 births per 1,000 women, Foot said.

A society with too few children can't afford the costs of caring for its aging population, and a society with too many children will suffer from political instability because there won't be enough jobs for them all, Foot said.

Canada, with a fertility rate of 1.6, is on the right track.

"I think our position's very good," Foot said. "Canada's demographic future is considerably better than most of Western Europe and Japan, and Southeast Asia."

Portage sees benefits of Manitoba's immigrant population growth

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By Angela Brown, The Daily Graphic

Updated 13 hours ago

While Statistics Canada recently reported that Manitoba has seen a noticeable increase to its population based on an influx of new immigrants, Portage la Prairie appears to be seeing similar growth.

Daniel Bolton, president with the Portage and District Chamber of Commerce, agrees Portage has seen a boost in its immigrant population.

"The RHA has had quite a lot of newcomers and immigrants move into Portage, which is great to see," he said.

He said the Portage International Committee (PIC) is also making strides to attract newcomers.

"In working with the PIC, we have seen the Province take a few steps in the right direction in trying to entice immigration and newcomers to Portage," he said.

The benefits of having more newcomers settle here, said Bolton, mean the local economy also sees a boost.

Statistics Canada reports as of Jan. 1, Canada's population was estimated at 34,278,400, and saw an increase of 40,400 (+0.1%) from Oct. 1, 2010.

Demographic growth was the highest on the Prairies. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were reported as having high rates of growth that were above the Canadian average.

Manitoba had the greatest demographic growth in Canada in the fourth quarter. It saw an increase of more than 3,600 (+0.3%).

Specifically, the net international migration (+2,600) was the main factor for the demographic growth in Manitoba. As of Jan. 1, Manitoba's population was estimated at about 1,243,700.

Statistics Canada shows 16,900 more people arrived in Manitoba in 2010. That is the most the province has grown in almost 40 years.

The Province reports 15,805 immigrants came to Manitoba in 2010. That is more than the 13,520 who came in 2009; it represents the largest arrival of immigrant s since 1946.

Luis Luna, co-ordinator of Portage Learning and Literacy Centre's immigrant resource program, said Portage has been successful in attracting many newcomers and he credits the immigrants for coming here with valuable skills needed in the marketplace.

"We haven't seen the increase like Morden and Winkler, but we are having a steady number of immigration happening in Portage la Prairie," he added.

"The last big immigration project was with the RHA Central ...," he said. "They have continued bringing more immigrants into the region."

Mayor Earl Porter also concurs immigration has had a positive impact on Portage.

"We do have quite a few immigrants in here now," said Porter.

He said the Portage International Committee is currently working on its own strategic plan.

PIC members are also looking forward to the upcoming Citizenship ceremony in May to be held in Portage.

The advantages of having more immigrants are that they help to build the population, said the Mayor.

"The nurses who came to Portage they are getting involved in the community," added Porter. "Some of them are buying houses. It's a boost for the economy."

Porter is pleased to see Manitoba's population see an increase and hopes it might also show a rise in Portage's numbers also.

"We have been sitting at 13,000 people for so long … it's nice to grow the population a little bit, and increase your tax base."

abrown@cpheraldleader.com

Food prices in Canada could jump between 5 and 7% in 2011: economist

A photo of a Tim Horton's cup of coffee. Inten...

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Get ready to fork over a little more cash before you pick up your dinner fork.

Canadians will be paying between five and seven per cent more for groceries on average by the end of the year, economists say.

A family that spends about $400 a month on groceries could end up paying up to $340 extra in a year.

Bad crops around the world, oil trading for more than US$100 a barrel and the economic recovery are driving prices higher.

Food companies are raising prices due to the soaring costs of key commodity ingredients like wheat, corn, sugar and vegetable oil, which have gone up as much as 50 to 100 per cent over the last year at a near-record rate.

With the United Nations blaming higher crude oil prices for pushing global food prices to an all time high, Canadians have been spared so far because of cutthroat grocery store competition and the high loonie making the cost of imported goods cheaper.

But it's just a matter of time until higher commodity prices trickle down to Canadian grocery shelves and Canadians have to reach further into their wallets, says Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns.

“Based on what I've seen in the past, it takes about nine to 12 months for an increase in raw food material prices to get fully passed on and to fully work their way down to the grocery shelves so I think by the end of this year we'll be looking at much more rapid food price inflation,” Porter says.

With no global economic crisis on the horizon to pull prices back down again, the higher prices could linger longer than they did when they hit record highs in 2008, he says.

Statistics Canada says general food prices rose 2.1 per cent in the 12 months leading up to January – about the same as the general inflation rate. But Canadians paid 10.7 per cent more for sugar and confectionery goods, and sugar is an ingredient in many processed foods.

Some food manufacturers are already moving forward with plans to charge grocery stores more.

Bakery company George Weston Ltd. (TSX:WN), said last week that it would charge five per cent more for its products as of April 1, and could increase prices even more by the end of the year if costs continue to rise.

Meat and baked goods maker Maple Leaf Foods (TSX:MFI) says it will raise its fresh bakery prices by 20 cents per unit at the end of March as it battles rising prices the flour used in bread and pork, beef, and chicken used in deli meats and hot dogs.

It already raised prices in its frozen bakery business at the end of last year, but expects further hikes in the second half of this year.

Last month, Tim Hortons (TSX:THI) said it may have to charge customers more for their morning java jolt due to the rising cost of coffee – which is about twice where it was in June last year. It already raised prices on coffee and baked goods by three per cent at its American locations.

National grocery chains Loblaw (TSX:L), Metro (TSX:MRU.A), and Sobeys parent Empire Co. Ltd. (TSX:EMP.A) have faced fierce competition, particularly in Ontario, from each other and retailers like Zellers and Shoppers Drug Mart (TSX:SC) who are increasing their food offerings. U.S. retail king Walmart also plans a major expansion of 40 new grocery stores in Canada this year.

That means grocers are holding off as long as possible to pass on manufacturer price increases to consumers, says John Scott, the president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

“Nobody is going to raise their prices a nickel unless they absolutely have to,” he says, explaining retailers will try to cut costs to keep up with competitors, but may offer fewer discounts.

“Instead of passing the full price on to the consumer, you'll see a reduction in the number of promotions like the coupons and that kind of thing that people have got to see last year. We had a lot of that in 2010, we'll probably have less of it in 2011.”

Maureen Fitzhenry, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Wheat Board, says the price of wheat has nearly doubled in the last few months, but the cost of wheat itself only makes up for about 15 cents of the price of a loaf of bread. The rest comes from processing, packaging, preservatives, overhead, transport costs and other factors.

She says higher fuel expenses are more likely to affect consumers than the higher price of wheat.

The cost of a litre of gasoline is up nearly 20 per cent from where it was last year, while the cost of diesel, used by heavy trucks to transport goods across the country is up nearly 30 per cent from a year ago.

“Fuel costs impact those millers and bakers. They have to run their equipment and their mills and their bakeries, they use fuel to do that, they have to transport their products all around the countryside ... so oil has a huge impact on that as well,” she says.

- By Mary Gazze, The Canadian Press

Boomtown Regina: more people and jobs

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan festival tents...

Image via WikipediaTHE LEADER-POST FEBRUARY 5, 2011

The term "boom town" was used to describe Regina in its infancy, when the future city was little more than a few wooden buildings, rudimentary houses, tents and stables in the 1880s.
Well, if early settlers thought that was a boom, the term certainly applies to the impressive expansion Regina is currently enjoying.
Even in a city used to good news of late, it's been quite a week:
- On Tuesday, the first phase of the $350-million Canadian Logistics Services (CLS) Distribution Centre officially opened. It's the first development in the massive multimodal transportation hub that will bring together rail, truck and possibly air cargo facilities just west of the city.
CLS will handle a variety of merchandise for Loblaw Companies and will move "80 semi-loads of groceries each and every day", Premier Brad Wall said. It currently employs 176 people, but the workforce will grow to up to 800 later this year. The province is said to be "very close" to announcements about other companies moving to the hub.
- On Thursday, Statistics Canada reported that Regina is the third fastest-growing metro area in the country after Saskatoon and Vancouver. The population of Regina and area swelled by almost 5,000 between July 2009 and July 2010, to an estimated 215,138 people. Particularly encouraging is the fact the Regina census metropolitan area's median age of 36.9 was fourth lowest in the nation. (Saskatoon, whose population jumped by 7,240 (to 265,259) has a median age of 35.4 -the lowest in Canada). Just a few years ago, when outmigration was at its height, it was feared Regina would have an aging population with too few young people. It's also good to know international immigration is playing a big part in population growth as the world discovers what Regina has to offer.
- Friday brought another Statistics Canada report, this time showing Regina with the lowest unemployment of all Canadian cities surveyed at just 4.5 per cent. There was a year-over-year increase of 6,700 jobs. Regina (and thirdplace Saskatoon) helped the province achieve a 5.4 per cent jobless rate, second in the nation after Manitoba.
Though some progress is being made, aboriginal unemployment remains unacceptably high. However, the city's biggest issue remains the short supply of rental housing -particularly affordable accommodation. Virtually all newcomers -even those who plan to buy property -initially need rental housing, yet the vacancy rate hovers around one per cent. Longer-term renters on low incomes -many of them aboriginal -are struggling with rising rents.
We look forward to the release of the province's housing strategy in June, which promises to have an "an emphasis on affordable and accessible housing". Municipalities, home builders, real estate organizations, chambers of commerce and community-based organizations across the province are working on solutions to this issue.
Affordable housing is a crucial element to marketing Regina and maintaining population growth. The pioneers might have been prepared to rough it in tents in the 19th century, but that's hardly an option for newcomers today.

Saskatoon outpaces all metro areas in Canada

Thorvaldson building located on the main campu...

Image via WikipediaBY DAVID HUTTON, THE STARPHOENIX

Saskatoon is growing faster and aging more slowly than any other major Canadian city.
The latest population estimates released Thursday by Statistics Canada reveal the Saskatoon region was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Canada for the one-year period ending in July 2010, surpassing Alberta's major centres in growth for the first time in decades.
The Saskatoon region is also the youngest in the country, bucking the pan-Canadian trend of a rapidly aging population.
But the changing demographics pose "huge challenges" for the city and raise difficult questions about the young aboriginal workforce, a prominent economist says.
"You have this young aboriginal population that on average is not very well off and on average not very well educated," said Eric Howe, a University of Saskatchewan economics professor. "If we do not do something about that, the wheels are going to fall off. The aboriginal population absolutely has to be brought into the economic mainstream."
Led by a booming aboriginal population and a major spike in international immigration driven by the province's expedited application program, the Saskatoon region, which includes bedroom communities such as Warman, Martensville, Dundurn and Dalmeny, has now passed the 265,000 population mark, a three per cent jump and a net increase of more than 7,200 people in one year.
Regina was third in the country in growth, behind Vancouver in second spot. The Regina region now has 215,000 people, an increase of close to 5,000 from the previous year.
The main reason for Saskatoon's rapid growth is an increase in international immigration, Statistics Canada reports.
More than 3,300 immigrants moved to Saskatoon during the year covered by the report, with the Philippines, China and Ukraine as the leading countries of origin. International immigration to Saskatoon is higher in sheer numbers than major Canadian cities such as Hamilton and Quebec City, which have historically attracted far more immigrants than all of Saskatchewan, Statistics Canada reports.
The immigration boom can be felt at the many drop-in programs run by the city's settlement agencies.
Petrio Dobushovskyy, 42, moved from Ukraine earlier this month with his wife, Oksana, and his two sons, Yaroslav, 16, and Ivan, 10, and is living in his brother's home until he finds work. On Thursday, he took part in an informal conversations session at Global Gathering Place, a non-profit drop-in centre downtown that was abuzz Thursday afternoon.
A computer programmer, Dobushovskyy is attempting to strengthen his English so he can boost his chances of landing a job. Otherwise, he says he may return to Ukraine. He's considering applying for labour work as an interim measure.
"I want my sons to learn English and go to university here," he said.
Many newcomers have been filling vacancies in entry-level jobs, primarily in the service sector, despite many having experience and credentials in medicine or engineering.
That's creating a dilemma for policy-makers because it's one of the main ways young aboriginal people can break into the labour market, Howe said.

"Many aboriginal people are coming off of three generations of welfare dependency and need entry-level jobs. If you give entrylevel jobs to someone else, they're not going to get them. Finding jobs for new immigrants is important, but it's also very important that we have entry-level jobs for young aboriginal people. That's where they're going to work if they're going to work, at least at first," he said.
The statistics on age revealed in the report are the most startling.
As the average age across Canada has jumped, Saskatoon's and Regina's average age has increased only slightly. High birth rates among the aboriginal population and the arrival of young families migrating from outside the country are cited as the main reasons Saskatchewan stayed young relative to the rest of Canada.
Saskatoon's average age is 35.6, Statistics Canada says, less than a year older than it was in 2001. The average age in Canada has increased 2.5 years to almost 40 since that time, while Saguenay, Que., has jumped more than 5.5 years to an average age of 45 and now ranks as the oldest metropolitan area in Canada.
The aboriginal population will make up 25 per cent of the 20 to 30 age group in Saskatoon in five years, Howe projects, and finding policies aimed at that group is the province's "defining problem," he said.
"There's nothing wrong in Saskatoon that can't be cured by what's right in Saskatoon," he said.
"But we'll have to work at it."
dhutton@thestarphoenix.com

Province wants immigrants

Image via WikipediaCompared with other provinces in Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador is experiencing greater difficulty attracting immigrants. The provincial government’s Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism is looking to get communities in on the effort, including Gander.
Topics :
Statistics Canada , Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism , Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada , Nova Scotia
Jamie Valvasori, the central region’s representative for the office, met with the Town’s economic and social development committee on Aug. 23 to speak about efforts to retain immigrants in the area.
According to notes from the meeting, Mr. Valvasori said the province is attracting many professionals who choose to move to larger centres. His office is now working on ways to make communities more welcoming to immigrants faced with living in a new place.
The Town has committed to working with his office on hosting a three-day workshop focusing on creating a welcoming community through specific initiatives.
According to Statistics Canada, 565 immigrants came to Canada from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. In the same time frame, the remaining three Atlantic Provinces welcomed many more immigrants. Nova Scotia attracted the most with 2,377, while New Brunswick welcomed 1,922 immigrants. Even Prince Edward Island, with almost one-quarter the population of Newfoundland and Labrador, managed to attract more immigrants – 1,793.
“While the numbers may be lower than other Atlantic provinces, we believe we’re seeing great progress.” - Minister Susan Sullivan
Susan Sullivan, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, said she could not speak to the approach those provinces are taking.
“We’ve chosen to focus on skilled individuals who will make an economic, social, and cultural contribution to the province,” said Minister Sullivan. “We’re looking for people who are able to make that contribution and also people who have demonstrated a strong interest in staying in the province, and we think this approach will serve the immigrants and our province well.”
A major component of that approach is the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which seeks to recruits immigrants with specialized skills that are also in demand. The minister said 53 per cent of immigrants that came through the program are living in St. John’s.
Numbers up
Since 2007, Minister Sullivan said immigration numbers have been increasing, moving from an average of 400 per year to over 600 in 2009 – with 700 expected in 2010.
“While the numbers may be lower than other Atlantic provinces, we believe we’re seeing great progress,” she said.
A Statistics Canada publication from February 2010 found Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest match rates in Canada for foreign-educated immigrants working in the field they were trained for at 60 per cent. Nova Scotia placed second in Canada with 40 per cent, while Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick were tied at fourth with 37 per cent. The Canadian average was 33 per cent for data collected in the 2006 Canadian census.
Minister Sullivan said this shows the province is a good option for immigrants looking to work in their chosen profession.
Rather than offer specific selling points as a province, she said the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism is using immigrants already here to sell Newfoundland and Labrador to others who may consider making a move. Its website currently offers video testimonials.
“They’re really inspiring examples of why it is that people have chosen to come and then decide to stay here,” said the minister.
She said a low population density constitutes a major attraction for foreigners coming to Newfoundland and Labrador, as many only have experience living in crowded cities. The videos also show people extolling the virtues of living in a place with a lower crime rate.
The efforts to create welcoming communities is being spearheaded by employees at the regional offices, said Minister Sullivan, as becoming a part of the community goes a long way in ensuring an immigrant will stay in an area.
“The workshops engage key stakeholders in the community who have an interest in the topic,” she said, adding the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism has already held a number of successful ones in other areas.
“What we’re learning form them is the stakeholders who’ve taken the opportunity to go and participate have all reported that these have exceptionally helped them in terms of understanding the immigration process, and helping those who come to settle into their communities.”
info@ganderbeacon.ca
By Andrew Robinson

Immigrants' job success linked to age of arrival: Study

2005/2006 university enrollment for various su...

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By Derek Abma, Financial Post September 14, 2010

OTTAWA — Immigrants who arrive in Canada before the age of 18 have a better chance at job success than those who come as adults, according to a study released Tuesday.
The Institute for Research on Public Policy said immigrants who come to Canada as minors generally have similar success to those born in Canada, in terms of employment and pay levels.
The issue of Canadian employers recognizing foreign educational credentials was factored out by the study's methodology. It was based on Statistics Canada data on the employment status of people in 2005 who had completed Canadian post-secondary education in 2000.
"The earlier in life immigrants arrive, the more their academic paths will resemble those of their Canadian-born counterparts, and the easier it will be for them to master one of the official languages in Canada," said Maude Boulet, one of the study's authors and an expert in industrial relations at the Universite de Montreal.
Co-author Brahim Boudarbat, also an industrial relations specialist at the Universite de Montreal, said it comes down largely to linguistic ability and cultural integration of those who come to Canada at an earlier age.
"Those who learn (in the Canadian education system) very young make almost the same choices as Canadian-born," Boudarbat said in an interview. "They go through the same system, they learn the same information."
In some cases, immigrants who arrived in Canada as minors had better employment success rates than those born in Canada. People born in Canada with college diplomas had a 91.8 per cent employment rate, the study showed. Those who immigrated as a minor had an employment rate of 92.6 per cent, and those coming to Canada as adults were employed at a 90.6 per cent rate.
For those with bachelor's degrees, the employment rate was 91.5 per cent for those born in Canada, 94.2 per cent for those who immigrated younger than 18, and 81.6 per cent for those arriving at 18 or older.
Among those with master's degrees or doctorates, the employment rate was 93 per cent for Canadian-born people, 89.1 per cent for those who immigrated as youths, and 88.5 per cent for those who immigrated as adults.
Boudarbat said immigrants who came to Canada as youths tend to be more flexible in what jobs they will work than those born in this country and also those who arrive later in life. But this was also thought to be factor in the study's finding that younger immigrants are less likely to be in jobs related to their area of education.
The study recommends that immigrants of all ages more carefully consider their fields of study based on the needs of the labour market. It also calls on the federal government to favour younger newcomers in its labour-market-based approach to immigration. Boudarbat said this would include adult immigrants younger than 30, and also those with children. He said other studies shown that even younger adult immigrants tend to have more success in the labour market than older immigrants.

Canada’s trade deficit moves to surplus

Image by Mikey G Ottawa via Flickr

Ottawa — The Canadian Press Published on Thursday, Jun. 10, 2010 8:52AM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Jun. 10, 2010 11:43AM EDT

Canada’s merchandise exports declined one per cent while imports fell 2.2 in April.
Statistics Canada

says the declines were the result of lower prices.
The agency reports export and import volumes rose for a third straight month, though at a slower pace than in the previous two months.
Canada’s trade balance with the world went to a surplus of $175-million in April from a deficit of $236-million in March.
Exports decreased to $32.9-billion in April from $33.3-billion in March.
Export prices fell 1.4 per cent while volumes grew 0.4.

Industrial goods and materials accounted for three-quarters of the decline in exports. Widespread gains in exports of machinery and equipment moderated the overall decrease.
Following two months of growth, imports declined from $33.5-billion in March to $32.8-billion in April, as import prices fell 2.4 per cent and volumes grew 0.2 per cent.
Statscan says the decrease in overall imports in April reflected declines in industrial goods and materials and, to a lesser extent, in other consumer goods, and machinery and equipment.
Exports to the United States

rose 0.7 per cent while imports grew 0.9. As a result, Canada's trade surplus with the United States remained at $3.8-billion in April.
Exports to countries other than the United States declined 5.5 per cent, largely the result of a 23.4 per cent decline in exports to the European Union. Imports fell seven per cent, led by decreases in precious metals from the European Union.
Consequently, Canada's trade deficit with countries other than the United States narrowed to $3.6-billion in April from $4-billion in March.

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