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
Since last interview, six out of ten immigrants looked for a job
Since the first wave interview, 58% of 160,800 immigrants had looked for work. It is worth noting that the overall proportion trying to find employment decreased compared with 71% in the first six months. This most likely is explained by the fact that some immigrants who found employment in the first six months did not look for another job during the defined period. The participation rate, which includes both those employed and those looking for jobs, provides a better indication of intensity of labour market attachment.
| Immigration Category | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Class | Skilled Workers (PA) | Skilled Workers (S&D) | Refugees | Others1 | All Immigrants | |
| Total number of immigrants | 43,131 | 55,976 | 40,812 | 9,811 | 11,072 | 160,801 |
| Immigrants who looked for employment since last interview | ||||||
| Number | 20,523 | 38,237 | 23,769 | 5,890 | 4,871 | 93,290 |
| Percentage of all immigrants | 48% | 68% | 58% | 60% | 44% | 58% |
| How immigrants looked for employment (selected methods)2 | ||||||
| Internet | 33% | 76% | 55% | 23% | 28% | 55% |
| Newspaper ads | 53% | 58% | 53% | 46% | 50% | 54% |
| Friends/Relatives | 64% | 46% | 48% | 63% | 51% | 52% |
| Contact employers | 48% | 44% | 47% | 55% | 45% | 47% |
| Employment agency | 21% | 35% | 27% | 24% | 15% | 28% |
| Co-workers | 12% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 9% |
1 Others include immigrants in Economic category other than Skilled Worker s and a small number of immigrants landed in categories other than Family, Economic and Refugees.
2 Based on immigrants who looked for employment since last interview. Totals may exceed 100% because multiple responses were allowed.
Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada – Wave 2 (2003)
The proportions trying to find employment differed by immigration category, ranging from 48% for family class to 68% for skilled worker principal applicants (PA). A notable change from the Wave 1 interview is the increased proportion of refugees looking for work (60% in Wave 2 versus 47% in Wave 1).
The methods through which immigrants looked for jobs changed slightly: searching the internet ranked the most popular, followed closely by looking in newspapers, asking friends and relatives, and directly contacting employers. Contacting employers was the most popular method to look for work in the first wave results. The preferences for job search methods also varied by immigration category. For skilled workers, both principal applicants (PA) and spouses and dependants (S&D), searching on the internet was the most popular way to find jobs, followed by looking in newspaper ads. For family class immigrants and refugees, asking friends or relatives was used most often to look for employment.
By gender (Table 2), a higher proportion of males (64%) than females (52%) looked for employment since last interview. Male immigrants were more likely to search the internet for job information while females preferred newspaper ads and asking friends or relatives.
| Male | Female | All Immigrants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of immigrants | 79,507 | 81,295 | 160,801 |
| Immigrants who looked for work since last interview | |||
| Number | 50,819 | 42,472 | 93,290 |
| Percentage of all immigrants | 64% | 52% | 58% |
| How immigrants looked for employment (selected methods)1 | |||
| Internet | 61% | 48% | 55% |
| Newspaper ads | 56% | 52% | 54% |
| Friends/Relatives | 52% | 52% | 52% |
| Contact employers | 47% | 46% | 47% |
| Employment agency | 31% | 25% | 28% |
| Co-workers | 9% | 8% | 9% |
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