Immigration Canada

Immigrant Wage, Employment Gaps Not Going Away: Report

By Joan Delaney
Epoch Times Staff

Despite higher education levels, immigrants experience higher unemployment and lower incomes than workers born in Canada, according to a new report.

Released Monday by RBC Economics, the report outlines the increasing size of the employment and wage gap for immigrants in Canada over the past 30 years.

While there was little difference between the unemployment rates of new immigrants and those born in Canada in 1981, a large gap emerged during the 1980s and 1990s, the report found.

By 2006, employment rates among immigrants were significantly higher than those among Canadian born—6.9 percent compared to 6.4 percent.

In 2005, the entire population of immigrants working full time in Canada earned an average of $45,000 a year, about $700 or two percent less than the average wage for Canadian-born workers. Those arriving in the previous five years earned just $28,700 on average.

The report estimates that the potential increased incomes for immigrants if their skills were rewarded similarly to Canadian-born workers would be $30.7 billion, or 2.1 percent of GDP in 2006 (the latest census data available).

Similarly, the potential immigrant unemployment rate would have translated into approximately 42,000 additional jobs.

“Employment growth is slowing as Canada’s population ages, which make it essential that every worker produce at their full potential,” said Dawn Desjardins, assistant chief economist, RBC.

“Underutilizing skilled labour is a gap we need to fill and immigrants represent more than 20 percent of our population. Even small improvements in immigrant outcomes could contribute positively to the Canadian economy.”

Working-age (16-64) immigrants in Canada are more likely to have a university degree than those who are Canadian born, and are older, on average. They are also more likely to live in large cities where earnings tend to be higher.

By gender, male immigrants have a higher earnings gap than female immigrants—about $16,500 for men and $7,000 for women. Conversely, the excess in the unemployment rate for women is larger than that for men, at 2.5 percentage points compared to a 0.7 percentage point difference for men.

The research suggests that gaps may be due to both genuine skill differences between immigrants and Canadian-born workers, and labour market inefficiencies that prevent immigrants from making full use of their skills, the report said.

Improved immigrant outcomes could be brought about through more extensive language training, faster credential recognition, or other integration initiatives, the researchers suggest. More rigorous evaluation of existing programs would also be helpful in understanding why gaps persist and how they can be addressed.

“This report shows that we are still not recognizing the skill level and talent that newcomers bring to Canada, and it’s as much the country’s loss as it is our immigrants,” said Camon Mak, director, Newcomer and Multicultural Markets, RBC.

“Canada was built on immigration, and that’s just as true today.”

Saskatoon drawing newcomers away from bigger cities

By Jordana Divon | Daily Brew – 19 hours ago

Immigrants looking to start a new life filled with prosperity and opportunity are packing their bags and heading in droves to… Saskatoon?

While provinces like Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia have long attracted the majority of incoming Canadians, a report by the Globe and Mail suggests the Prairie city, with itsreputation for welcoming new residents and its numerous employment opportunities, has become an increasingly attractive place for migrant workers to settle.

"My friends live here, they said it's a good place — for living, for job opportunities…That's why I chose Saskatoon," Bangladeshi native Sayful Ahmed told the paper about his decision to move there three weeks ago. "So far, so good."

A recent Statistics Canada survey, released Tuesday, shows Saskatchewan and Alberta have edged to the top of the population growth chart. Saskatchewan not only demonstrated the highest level of international migration in the third quarter of 2011, it also showed the highest growth level of any quarter since 1971.

"Settlement patterns in contemporary Canada are changing. Western Canada is increasingly vibrant economically and Saskatchewan, we think, is helping to drive that kind of shift," said Immigration Minister Rob Norris. "It's allowing us to fuel our economic growth…We're seeing community renewal under way and we're also seeing economic benefits."

A bit further east, migration levels in Ontario clocked in at their lowest level since 1998, as the country's most populous province has seen unemployment rates sail past the national average.

The downturn has hit newcomers especially hard. A 2010 Board of Trade report states that, compared to their Canadian co-workers, Toronto immigrants are earning less now than they did in 1980. The report added that the failure to properly utilize their skills is arguably costing the Canadian economy billions.

As economic opportunities grow in the other direction, Western provinces are luring skilled workers — both Canadian and international-born — to seek their fortunes in a burgeoning market.

In fact, many of Ahmed's new acquaintances have recently settled in Saskatchewan after first testing the waters elsewhere.

"All the Bengalis I meet here… they either come from Toronto or Montreal," he said.

Part of this shift stems from the way Western provinces are choosing who comes through their borders. Instead of relying on the "points system," a selection process that often brings in highly educated surgeons and engineers who later find themselves facing unemployment, places like Saskatchewan and Alberta are making an effort to hand-pick workers who will fulfill a particular economic need.

The gamble appears to be paying off. In the past year, Ottawa has dipped into immigrant-relocation resources earmarked for Ontario, and reallocated some of those funds to the trio of provinces on the left side of the map.

(CP photo)

Saskatoon bound: Newcomers lead westward shift

ANNA MEHLER PAPERNY

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

When Bangladeshi-born Sayful Ahmed decided to come to Canada for a fresh start, he didn’t head to Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal.

He chose Saskatoon.

The city of 234,000 people, which has garnered a reputation for seeking newcomers and having plenty of work, was just too appealing to pass up.

“My friends live here, they said it’s a good place – for living, for job opportunities. …That’s why I chose Saskatoon,” said Mr. Ahmed, who arrived three weeks ago. “So far, so good.”

The booming Prairie province has become a magnet for migrants – from the Philippines, Ukraine, China, India and England.

In fact, Saskatchewan and Alberta lead the country in population growth, according to numbers from Statistics Canada released Tuesday. International migration to Saskatchewan over the third quarter of 2011 was the highest it has been for any quarter since 1971.

At the same time, Ontario – traditionally the country’s strongest draw for newcomers – recorded its smallest net international migration for this quarter since 1998. Economic gloom translates into fewer migrants; fewer migrants means fewer employable bodies – and, in turn, less settlement cash from Ottawa.

As Canada’s centre of gravity shifts westward with growing economic prosperity and political clout, the population is following. That goes both for international and internal migration: Western provinces are luring job seekers from Taizhou and Toronto alike.

“Settlement patterns in contemporary Canada are changing. Western Canada is increasingly vibrant economically and Saskatchewan, we think, is helping to drive that kind of shift,” Immigration Minister Rob Norris said. “It's allowing us to fuel our economic growth. … We're seeing community renewal under way and we're also seeing economic benefits.”

The population shift also reflects a change in the way Canada seeks newcomers: Emphasis is moving away from the skilled worker “points system,” which has become known for bringing in surgeons and engineers who often find themselves jobless or underemployed. Instead, Canada's Western provinces rely increasingly on a nominee program that lets them hand-pick the immigrants their economies need most.

Job seekers from within Canada need no such encouragement. Many are seeking greener economic pastures – both native-born Canadians and immigrants “re-migrating” elsewhere.

“All the Bengalis I meet here,” said Mr. Ahmed in Saskatoon, “they either come from Toronto or Montreal.”

Alberta continues to lead the country in Canadians transplanted from other provinces. And it has Ontario to thank for a third of its interprovincial migration in the third quarter of 2011.

Ontario unemployment, higher than the national average, hits immigrants disproportionately. According to a 2010 Board of Trade report, recent Toronto immigrants make less now, compared to their Canadian counterparts, than they did in 1980. The failure to tap their skills is estimated to cost the economy billions.

The shift hasn’t gone unnoticed by the federal government. This year, Ottawa shifted its immigrant-settlement resources: Ontario services lost out, to the benefit of some of their Western counterparts.

Saskatoon’s Open Door Society saw its budget increase 28 per cent last year, to $5.3-million. And the group needs it, settlement and family support manager Anahit Falihi said. Its staff has tripled in five years to accommodate the flood of newcomers needing a hand.

While he’s hesitant to prognosticate, University of Western Ontario professor Roderic Beaujot said there’s reason to believe these trends are more than just a blip.

“We’re seeing important changes in the pattern of interprovincial migration and the settlement of international migrants across the country,” he said. “I think there’s some staying power here.”

As much as they’re contributing economically, the newcomers are also changing the flavour of the Prairies. Thirty per cent of Saskatchewan’s immigrants are settling in hundreds of small communities, Mr. Norris says. That mirrors migration trends in the American Plains states, where last year’s census showed fading towns rejuvenated by an injection of Hispanic migrants.

Mr. Ahmed, for his part, hopes to save up enough for his own restaurant – “somewhere people can go and experience proper Indian food.”

Quebec's population hits new milestone

MONTREAL - We’re 8 million – let’s talk.

That advertising slogan is not coming to TV screens across Quebec – but demographer Chantal Girard rather wishes it were.

Girard was explaining a new report by the provincial statistics bureau announcing that Quebec’s population has reached 8 million.

The population milestone calls to mind the famous 1970s advertising slogan: “On est 6 millions – faut se parler.”

That was the tagline for a series of Labatt beer commercials that tapped into the rising nationalism that swept the Parti Québécois to power in 1976.

So great was the ad campaign’s impact that many Quebecers still think to this day the province has 6 million inhabitants, Girard said.

“I’m always fascinated by the proportion of people who still think we are 6 million, when that was back in the early 1970s,” she said.

“So I’m dreaming that somebody will pick up on the 8 million number and set the record straight,” Girard added.

Immigration and a drop in the number of Quebecers who moved to other provinces have boosted annual population growth to one per cent – one of the highest levels in 50 years, Girard said.

Click here to view charts of birth rate and immigration in Quebec.

Quebec gained 76,000 residents in 2010, mostly due to immigration and a slowing of out-migration to other provinces. That marks the highest rate of net migration to Quebec (arrivals offset by departures) since the province started keeping records in 1962, according to the report by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.

Immigration is driving the rise, the report said. Last year, the province welcomed 54,000 immigrants from more than 130 countries, led by Morocco, Algeria and France.

But don’t expect any ad campaigns touting the population boom, said Benoit Duguay, a management professor and communications expert at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

With Quebec nationalism on the decline, ads exploiting the push for nationhood would likely fall flat, Duguay said. Also, increasing diversity has made population growth a touchier subject than back in the ’70s, he said.

“I don’t think it would work right now,” he said.

“It was based on a nationalistic appeal: Let’s be together, we’re only 6 million French-speaking people and we’re surrounded by English-speaking people, so let’s stick together,” he said.

“Now, we are 8 million but we’re not 8 million French-speaking Québécois de souche (native Quebecers). In the ’70s, we were 6 million but a fair proportion of those were Québécois de souche,” he added.

The beer ads exploited Quebecers’ pride in having a large enough population to become an independent nation, said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies.

But now, fears that Montreal is becoming less francophone are causing many to be ambivalent toward immigration, he said.

“Quebecers like the idea of population growth. They’re more supportive of it than any other province in Canada,” he said.

But a perception that French is threatened in Montreal has created a backlash, Jedwab said. “You’ve got this tension and almost an inherent ambiguity which is difficult to resolve,” he said.

When Quebec passed the 7-million mark in 1990, natural population growth (births minus deaths) drove the increase, Girard said. But population growth is expected to slow as baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1966, move into their senior years, the report warned.

By 2031, 26 per cent of the population will be 65 or older, while just 20 per cent will be under 20.

As the population ages, Quebec will have to rely entirely on immigration for population growth, the report predicted. The province will reach 9 million inhabitants in about 25 years.

Prior to 1960, Quebec’s population grew by between 1.5 per cent and three per cent a year, mostly as a result of natural increase, Girard said.

The report noted that migration from Quebec to other provinces slowed in 2010, with a net loss of 3,000 residents to English Canada (departures offset by arrivals) and of 4,000 in 2009. That was a marked improvement since 2006, when Quebec lost 12,000 residents to other provinces.

The natural increase of the population added 30,000 people in 2010.

The median age in Quebec is 41.4 years, compared with under 25 in the 1950s and ’60s.

The female-male gap in life expectancy has dropped to just four years from seven years in 1990; women can expect to live to 83.6 years and men to 79.6 years.

Fully 63 per cent of babies are now born outside of a formal marriage, compared with 38 per cent in 1990.

Twenty-seven per cent of Quebec babies have at least one parent who was born abroad.

More highlights:

1,009 Babies were named William

454 Babies were named Léa

79.6 years Life expectancy for males

83.6 years Life expectancy for females

1.7 birth rate

28 Average age of mothers when they had their first child

mascot@montrealgazette.com

New Canadians more likely to belong to "Sandwich Generation" and to feel related financial pressure

TORONTO, Dec. 15, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - Of the new Canadians who reported providing daily care for their parents in Desjardins Financial Security's (DFS) most recent health survey, 71 per cent admitted to feeling a related financial impact, compared to 61 per cent of all respondents who provided daily support.

The survey also found that 20 per cent of those respondents who were born outside Canada were more likely to be members of the "Sandwich Generation" — adults who provide personal and financial support to their parents and children simultaneously — compared to seven per cent of all respondents.

"Most Canadians are finding it difficult to make ends meet. But these results are showing us that immigrants are feeling particularly overwhelmed because they're balancing more than the average Canadian," said Reh Bhanji, regional sales manager of the Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance division at Desjardins Group. "The 'Sandwich Generation' may be a new phenomenon in North America, but it's not for many new Canadians — it's life. They're juggling the challenge of establishing roots in a new country, raising a family and caring for elderly parents, all within a very tight budget."

Having a plan is essential

Despite their financial difficulties, those who had immigrated to Canada less than five years ago were more likely to have a plan with their parents to provide for their care (40 per cent compared to 18.9 per cent overall).

"It's encouraging that many new Canadians have plans in place to care for their families," said Bhanji. "However, there are many who are still struggling financially. Working with a financial advisor can help rebalance the plan to ensure that your family's financial security is assured while providing your parents with the care that they need."

About the Survey

SOM Surveys, Opinion Polls and Marketing conducted this Web survey on behalf of Desjardins Financial Security from August 10 to 23, 2011. In total, 3,120 questionnaires were completed with a sample of Canadian Web panellists aged 18 to 64 years old. The data was weighted to reflect the distribution of the Canadian population aged 18 to 64 years old in terms of gender and mother tongue distributions in 14 regions (Atlantic Provinces, Montreal CMA and elsewhere in Quebec, Toronto CMA and elsewhere in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Calgary CMA and elsewhere in Alberta, Vancouver CMA and elsewhere in British Columbia). The data was also weighted to reflect the population distributions in terms of the joint age-gender distribution and the proportion of adults who live alone in Quebec, Ontario and elsewhere in Canada.

About Desjardins Financial Security

Desjardins Financial Security, a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada, specializes in providing life insurance, health insurance and retirement savings products to individuals and groups. Every day over five million Canadians rely on DFS to ensure their financial security. DFS employs over 4,000 people and administers 27.7 billion in assets from offices in several cities across the country including Vancouver, Calgary,Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Lévis, Halifax and St. John's. For more information, visit the website at www.desjardinsfinancialsecurity.com.

Top 35 best employers for new Canadians

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, Vancouver

Hydroelectric power generation; 5,437 employees.
CEO chairs Immigrant Employment Council of B.C.

Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Halifax

Wired telecommunications carrier; 8,442 employees.
Developing a program to provide work placements for new Canadians.

Bank of Montreal, Toronto

Commercial banking; 25,541 employees.
Organizes onsite hiring fairs for new Canadians at its headquarters.

Business Development Bank of Canada, Montreal

Non-depository credit intermediation; 1,685 employees.
Recognizes international credentials during the hiring process.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto

Commercial banking; 33,773 employees.
Participates in a “speed mentoring” program in which employees meet one-on-one with employee mentors.

Canadian Tool & Die Ltd., Winnipeg

Fluid power cylinder and actuator manufacturing; 218 employees.
Participated in Workplace Integration of Newcomers pilot project.

Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc., Kitchener, Ont.

Audio and visual equipment manufacturing; 402 employees.
Provides internships to new Canadian engineers in partnership with the Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network and Conestoga College.

DALSA Inc., Waterloo, Ont.

Semi conductor and regulated device manufacturer; 787 employees.
Has provided paid ESL training to employees, on request, on company premises during company time for 10 years.

Davis + Henderson, Toronto

Manifold business forms printing; 1,206 employees.
Hired candidates from Newcomer Opportunities for Work program.

Deloitte & Touche LLP, Toronto

Certified public accountants; 7,474 employees.
Helps new Canadian employees adjust to the workplace through a co-worker “buddy” program.

Energy Resources Conservation Board, Calgary

Regulation and administration of communications, electric, gas and other utilities; 792 employees.
Hires new Canadian job seekers with international credentials in engineering, geology and other technical fields.

Enermodal Engineering Inc., Kitchener, Ont.

Engineering services; 76 employees.
Has hired immigrants referred by the Working Centre.

Epcor Utilities Inc., Edmonton

Hydroelectric power generation; 2,832 employees.
Travelled to Manila to recruit aerial power line workers and hired them as permanent employees.

Export Development Canada, Ottawa

International trade financing; 1,075 employees.
Attended Hire Immigrants career fair.

Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Montreal

Lawyers; 1,406 employees.
Established a six-month paid internship program to help internationally trained lawyers.

Regional Municipality of Halton, Oakville, Ont.

Legislative bodies; 1,550 employees.
Provides Career Bridge internships to new Canadians in fields such as asset management, community relations and transportation services.

KPMG LLP, Toronto

Certified public accountants; 5,245 employees.
Provides work placements to new Canadians enrolled in the Toronto District School Board’s Enhanced Language Training for Financial Services program.

Manulife Financial Corp., Toronto

Life insurance carriers; 10,034 employees.
Provides paid internships in mid- and senior-level positions to new Canadian job seekers through the Career Bridge program.

Maple Trade Finance Inc., Halifax

Intermediation; 19 employees.
Is taking a leadership role in addressing new Canadian recruitment and integration.

McGill University Health Centre, Montreal

General medical and surgical hospitals; 6,039 employees.
Develops in-house training to hire internationally trained administrative technicians to work as medical secretaries.

Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto

General medical and surgical hospitals; 2,268 employees.
Recognizes years of international work experience for new Canadian nurses.

Providence Health Care, Vancouver

General medical and surgical hospitals; 3,507 employees.
Hired nearly 100 internationally trained nurses as part of the International Recruitment Campaign.

Replicon Inc., Calgary

Environmental consulting services; 76 employees.
Administers technical skills tests to ensure internationally trained candidates are evaluated on par with candidates with Canadian credentials.

Rescan Environmental Services Ltd., Vancouver

Environmental consulting services; 108 employees.
Pairs new Canadian engineers with senior engineering employees.

Saskatoon Health Region, Saskatoon

General medical and surgical hospitals; 5,319 employees.
Saskatchewan is the first province to sign memorandum of understanding with the Philippines in regard to hiring nurses.

SaskEnergy Inc., Regina

Natural gas distribution; 1,031 employees.
Does not screen out internationally trained engineers during the hiring process.

St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto

General medical and surgical hospitals; 3,450 employees.
Teaches other organizations how to create mentoring programs for immigrant job seekers or employees.

Stikeman Elliott LLP, Toronto

Lawyers; 1,286.
Has hired lawyers who have completed National Committee on Accreditation requirements to practise law in Canada.

Syncrude Canada Ltd., Fort McMurray, Alta.

Crude petroleum and natural gas extraction; 5,430 employees.
Does not hire temporary foreign workers; hires immigrants with Canadian citizenship.

Toronto-Dominion Bank, Toronto

Commercial banking; 37,088 employees.
Has mentored more than 400 new Canadian job seekers to help them access professional networks in their fields of expertise

Toronto Community Housing Corp., Toronto

Residential property managers; 1,403 employees.
Welcomes new Canadians by posting available jobs in ethnic community newspapers, working with community organizations and attending job fairs.

TransCanada Corp., Calgary

Natural gas distribution; 2,337 employees.
Trains recruiters to address and recognize cross-cultural issues in the hiring process.

University of Ottawa, Ottawa

Colleges, universities and professional schools; 2,813 employees.
Employment presentations to immigrant service organizations about jobs at the university and how to apply.

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vancouver

General medical and surgical hospitals; 10,498 employees.
Provides classroom training and on-site practicums to internationally trained nurses enrolled in a provincial program and hires them when their work practicum is complete.

Wardrop Engineering Inc., Winnipeg

Engineering services; 819 employees.
Provides onsite English language instruction and cross-cultural training.

HOW THEY WERE CHOSEN

The Best Employers for New Canadians are chosen by editors at Mediacorp Canada Inc., a Toronto-based publishing firm. They select the winners based on five main criteria, according to whether the companies:

Offer programs designed to assist employees who are recent immigrants to Canada; 
Have reduced employment barriers for recent immigrants, such as by recognizing foreign educational credentials and experience;
Assist new employees with foreign professional or educational credentials in getting their qualifications recognized in Canada;
Offer programs such as internal coaching or mentoring to help employees who are recent immigrants understand the Canadian workplace; and
Their managers and employees receive training in cross-cultural issues or inclusiveness, to help create a welcoming and productive environment for employees who are recent immigrants.

The Best Employers for New Canadians competition is managed by Mediacorp editors who publish Canada’s Top 100 Employers, in partnership with ALLIES, a joint initiative of the Maytree Foundation and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. The partners at ALLIES do not take part in the selection process.

Compiled by Diane Jermyn