ARCHIVED – The Labour Market Progression of the LSIC Immigrants
A Perspective from the Second Wave of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) — Two Years after Landing
Half of employed immigrants held only one job and the majority were working in full-time jobs
Of the 160,000 immigrants in the LSIC population, 75% or 120,500 had at least one job during the first two years in Canada. Of these immigrants, more than half (51%) had held only one job over the initial two years, while 31% had held two jobs. The percentages of immigrants with one, two, three, and four or more jobs, were fairly consistent across immigration categories. Skilled worker principal applicants were a little more likely to change jobs, which was reflected by the slightly higher percentages of immigrants who had two or more jobs within the first two years. The proportion of one-job holders dropped significantly from 75% at six months after landing to 51% one and half years later.
The number of jobs held since coming to Canada is fairly hard to interpret with regards to labour market outcomes due to the fact that this characteristic may be a positive or negative indicator. For example, multiple jobs since landing may indicate a progressive move towards more desirable occupations in the labour market. However, it may be an indication of instability in the labour market and problems integrating in the workforce. Further investigation in this area is warranted to offer better insights on the relationship of number of jobs held and labour market performance.
| Immigration Category | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Class | Skilled Workers (PA) | Skilled Workers (S&D) | Refugees | Others | All Immigrants | |
| All immigrants | 43,131 | 55,976 | 40,812 | 9,811 | 11,072 | 160,801 |
| Number of immigrants who had a job or business since landing | 28,442 | 49,963 | 29,228 | 5,702 | 7,163 | 120,499 |
| Number of jobs held since coming to Canada | ||||||
| One | 50% | 48% | 53% | 58% | 63% | 51% |
| Two | 32% | 33% | 28% | 29% | 27% | 31% |
| Three | 12% | 13% | 13% | 11% | 8% | 12% |
| Four or more | 6% | 7% | 6% | 2%E | 3% | 6% |
Percentages are based on the number of immigrants who had a job of business since landing.
E Use with caution.
Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada – Wave 2 (2003)
At the time of the Wave 2 interview, 93,000 or 58% of all LSIC immigrants were working in some kind of paid employment. Among these, the majority (79%) held full-time jobs. Skilled worker principal applicants were most likely to be employed in full-time positions (88%) compared with those in other immigration categories, such as family class (79%) and skilled worker spouses and dependants (68%). The proportion of refugees with full-time jobs was relatively lower at 63%.
| Immigration Category | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Class | Skilled Workers (PA) | Skilled Workers (S&D) | Refugees | Others | All Immigrants1 | |
| Number of currently employed immigrants1 | 21,160 | 40,397 | 21,302 | 4,301 | 5,809 | 92,969 |
| Full-time2 | 79% | 88% | 68% | 63% | 72% | 79% |
| Part-time3 | 21% | 12% | 31% | 36% | 27% | 20% |
1 Currently employed immigrants include a small number of immigrants who did not state their part-time/full-time work status.
2 Refers to the immigrants working 30 hours or more per week as a proportion of all employed immigrants at the time of the W2 interview.
3 Refers to the immigrants working less than 30 hours per week as proportion of all employed immigrants at the time of the W2 interview.
Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada – Wave 2 (2003)
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