International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Improving Access to Labour market Information for migrants and employers
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this subject, 146 including a forthcoming CSLS study which finds recent immigrants
faring poorly versus comparison groups on participation rates, unemployment rates,
and earnings (Johnson, 2012). Specifically, for university-educated workers, recent
immigrants (in Canada for less than five years) participated in the labour force
at a rate of 75.2 per cent in 2010, compared to 81.5 per cent for domestic-born
workers. This increased only to 74.7 per cent for established immigrants. Similarly,
domestic-born workers with a university degree enjoyed an unemployment rate
of 3.7 per cent, compared to 14.5 per cent for recent immigrants. The study also
identifies a 21.4 per cent wage gap for recent university-educated immigrants
compared to their domestic counterparts. Obviously, these shortcomings should
be read at least as a warning sign, if not a definitive signal, that there may be some
deficit in Canada’s immigration policy and system of labour market information
(Murray, 2010a, 2010b). The remainder of this report will explore to what extent
this situation is either attributable to gaps in labour market information, or can be
alleviated with more, and improved access to, labour market information.
Table 11.2: Occupational skill level of TFWs, initial entry or re-entry to Canada, 2001–2010
Level 0 –
Managerial
Level A –
Professional
Level B
– Skilled
and
technical
Level C –
Intermediate
and clerical
Level D –
Elemental
and
labourers
Level
not
stated
Total
2001 4,729 47,689 21,258 27,377 1,173 17,412 119,657
2002 4,605 39,327 19,124 28,020 1,105 18,670 110,861
2003 4,632 30,860 16,818 28,047 1,359 21,478 103,198
2004 5,200 30,674 17,447 30,329 1,521 27,332 112,508
2005 5,506 32,650 19,836 32,929 2,401 29,333 122,662
2006 6,029 35,386 22,547 36,921 4,626 33,485 139,000
2007 6,677 34,643 27,694 45,343 10,591 39,768 164,720
2008 7,544 34,225 31,519 49,573 17,069 52,239 192,180
2009 7,400 32,685 26,609 43,453 12,233 55,886 178,268
2010 8,409 34,653 24,487 41,931 8,742 64,046 182,276
Source: CIC Facts & Figures 2011.
2. Overview of labour market information patterns in Canada
2.1. Demand side: employers’ perspectives
To understand the strengths and weaknesses in Canada’s LMI for immigrants, we
must thoroughly explore labour market information as it stands. The purpose of
this section to consider the labour market information, recruiting practices, and job
search methods available to and used by employers, foreign-born workers already
146 It is beyond the scope of this paper to include an extensive review of the literature on this matter, but
interested readers can consult Picot and Sweetman (2012); Alboim (2010); Aydemir and Sweetman
(2008); Zietsma (2010); Gilmore (2009).