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

Reasons for employment termination varied

Although only in Canada for two years, the LSIC immigrants had already made some job transitions in the labour market. During the one and a half years between the first wave interview and the second wave interview, there were about 79,300 employment departures. The majority of job terminations (62%) were initiated by immigrants themselves while the remaining 37% were initiated by the employer due to such things as layoff/business slowdown, temporary jobs, or seasonality of employment.

Table 19: Reason for employment departure, by immigration category — Wave 2
  Immigration Category
Family Class Skilled Workers (PA) Skilled Workers (S&D) Refugees Others All Immigrants1
Number of job termination 20,144 32,389 19,752 3,642 3,335 79,261
Left job 62% 59% 67% 62% 70% 62%
Job came to an end 36% 40% 32% 37% 29% 37%

1 Includes a small number of immigrants whose reason to stop working is not specified.

Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada – Wave 2 (2003)

The reasons for employment termination differed across immigration categories. Skilled worker spouse and dependants were most likely to leave the job of their own volition (67%) while skilled worker principal applicants were more likely to have their employment ended by the employer (40%). The finding that skilled worker principal applicants were more subject to involuntary termination of job contrasts with the results of Wave 1, which show higher proportions of refugees and family class immigrants with involuntary job terminations.

Table 20: Top 3 reasons for involuntary job termination, by immigration category --- Wave 2
  Immigration Category
Family Class Skilled Workers (PA) Skilled Workers (S&D) Refugees Others All Immigrants1
Number of involuntary job departure1 7,281 13,029 6,410 1,337 972 29,028
Layoff/business slowdown 40% 40% 40% 55% 41% 41%
Temporary job/contract ended 20% 40% 30% 20% 29% 31%
Seasonal nature of work 20% 5% 10% 10%E F 10%

1 Includes a small number of immigrants whose reason to stop working was not specified.

E Use with caution.

F: Too unreliable to be released.

Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada – Wave 2 (2003)

For all immigrants, the most common reason for involuntary job departure was layoff or business slowdown. However, skilled worker principal applicants had the highest proportion reporting loss of employment due to the temporary nature of work (e.g., contract work). Although skilled worker principal applicants were more likely to find employment compared with other categories, it seems a higher proportion accepted work of a temporary/contract nature. This type of employment may be an indication of skilled worker principal applicants trying to accumulate job experience in the new labour market.

Among voluntary job departures, having found a new job was the top reason (41%), followed by going to school (18%) and feeling dissatisfied with job (17%). The highest proportion of voluntary job termination due to another working opportunity was among skilled worker principal applicants (52%). Refugees were most likely to leave a job for school reasons (27%), which is consistent with the result that these immigrants were the most active participators in post-arrival education and training.

Table 21: Top 3 reasons for leaving job voluntarily, by immigration category --- Wave 2
  Immigration Category
Family Class Skilled Workers (PA) Skilled Workers (S&D) Refugees Others All Immigrants1
Number of voluntary job departure1 12,500 19,038 13,228 2,271 2,340 49,377
Found new job 35% 52% 33% 30% 37% 41%
School 10% 19% 22% 27% 23% 18%
Dissatisfied with job 20% 15% 17% 19% 18% 17%

1 Includes a small number of immigrants whose reason to stop working was not specified.

Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada – Wave 2 (2003)

The reasons for leaving a job voluntarily differed slightly by gender. In addition to those reasons cited by their male counterparts (such as found a new job, for school and dissatisfied with job), a large number of female immigrants left employment to care for their own children.

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