Search

Using 2016 Census data, we compare the odds of employment (full time or self-employment) for visible minority immigrants in Canada with those of non–visible minority immigrants. Intergenerational comparisons of employment outcomes are made because one would expect second- and third-generation immigrants to be less prone to labour market barriers than first-generation immigrants. Estimates based on a logistic regression of employment probability reveal lower employment odds for four out of 10 identified visible minority immigrant groups in comparison with non–visible minority immigrants for all three generations. For first- and second-generation immigrants, the results were mixed, but third-generation immigrants faced significantly lower employment probabilities in all groups of visible minorities with the exception of Chinese and Japanese. A lack of proficiency in official languages (English or French) lowers the employment probability for all groups. It is estimated that post-secondary education (PSE) acquired outside of Canada has a weaker positive association with employment than PSE acquired within Canada. Pre- and post-immigration labour market experience have a weak association with employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 2016 Census data, we compare the odds of employment (full time or self-employment) for visible minority immigrants in Canada with those of non–visible minority immigrants. Intergenerational comparisons of employment outcomes are made because one would expect second- and third-generation immigrants to be less prone to labour market barriers than first-generation immigrants. Estimates based on a logistic regression of employment probability reveal lower employment odds for four out of 10 identified visible minority immigrant groups in comparison with non–visible minority immigrants for all three generations. For first- and second-generation immigrants, the results were mixed, but third-generation immigrants faced significantly lower employment probabilities in all groups of visible minorities with the exception of Chinese and Japanese. A lack of proficiency in official languages (English or French) lowers the employment probability for all groups. It is estimated that post-secondary education (PSE) acquired outside of Canada has a weaker positive association with employment than PSE acquired within Canada. Pre- and post-immigration labour market experience have a weak association with employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration policies in most host nations of the west have undergone significant changes in recent years. Based on the four country-specific papers that appear in this section of the journal, and also on our own research, we present an overview of these changes and their context. In all countries, economic considerations play a central role in shaping immigration policy and greater importance is given to scientific research. Several common policy changes are noted in Australia, Canada and New Zealand which include: a shift away from a human capital focus toward more targeted selection based on labor market demand for specific skills, increased emphasis on temporary foreign worker programs, attraction of international students, an overhauling of the refugee system, and regionalization of immigration. In the U.S., while adoption of some of these changes has often surfaced in public policy and academic discussions, legalization of unauthorized migrants remains an important policy debate, with recent arguments focusing on the economic benefits of legalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article summarizes major themes and issues discussed at a conference organized by the economics domain of the Atlantic Metropolis Atlantique on immigration and out-migration, in Halifax, Nova Scotia in mid-November, 2004. A plenary panel of three speakers opened the conference, providing some background information on attracting and retaining immigrants. Barry Chiswick from University of Illinois summarized his research on economic factors and linguistic concentrations. Don De Voretz of Simon Fraser University addressed the issue of immigrant retention in terms of a brain circulation model, under which immigrants enter a niche area where they receive subsidized human capital in the form of education, language training, and skill certification.

This article provides direct evidence about educational attainments of new arrivals in Canada over the period 1956 to 1994. This evidence is based on immigrants' educational attainment data obtained from two sources: different population censuses from 1961 to 1986, including those from 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1986; and landing documents of immigrants. Data from these two sources allow an analysis of educational attainment trends over a longer period than that conducted in some other studies and in more depth. Finally immigrant data are also compared with the educational attainment of the Canadian-born population in corresponding periods. Individuals aged 25 years or older are considered. Results show that, in the total immigrant inflows of any subperiod since 1956, the percentages of those with high school education or less have been declining and have been lower that those for the Canadian-born population. These results contradict the generally held view in Canada that in the post-1967 period, the immigration policy's increased focus on family and refugee classes has resulted in the admission of immigrants who are less educated than those who arrived before 1967. This result indicates that other factors such as discrimination and general economic conditions in the country should be investigated in depth to explain the recently cited decline in the economic performance of Canadian immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public finance impact of immigrant groups of various world origins resident in Canada is analyzed by obtaining estimates of their tax payments and consumption of major public services. Results show that regardless of their country of origin all immigrant households are sources of net transfers to Canadians. A comparison of results is made with a similar U.S. study and some implications are drawn for immigration policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]