Asian females in Canada: Highly educated but less employed
MANILA, Philippines - If you are a female immigrant, and come from Asia or another non-Western region, chances are you will face difficulties in finding work in Canada even if you have already stayed there for five years, and have a university degree.
According to a July 18, 2008 study by Statistics Canada, only 65.5 percent of university-educated Asian immigrants aged 25 to 54 found jobs in Canada from 2002 to 2007.
The figure was low compared with 77.8 percent of immigrant professionals from the United States under the same age bracket who from the same period found employment in Canada.
The Asian professionals' Canadian-born counterparts were the most employed, with a rating of 90.7 percent, the study showed.
“Employment rates for these immigrants varied according to where they received their university degree, with those educated in Western countries generally having higher rates than those educated elsewhere," the study noted.
Meanwhile, job hunting for degree-holder immigrants from other non-Western regions such as Africa and Latin America proved to be a lot more difficult.
The same study showed that only about half or 50.9 percent of African immigrant professionals found jobs in Canada from 2002 to 2007, while only more than half or 59.7 percent of Latin Americans were employed during the same period.
Highly educated, but less employed
Statistics Canada said that while there were more immigrants with university degrees than Canadian-born citizens, the latter got better employment opportunities than their counterparts.
It said that in 2007, 37 percent or 1.2 million immigrants with “core working" age of 24 to 54 had a university degree, but only 22 percent of their Canadian-born counterparts were university-educated.
The study observed “significant gaps" in employment rates between immigrants that got their degrees from foreign institutions and Canadian-born professionals.
“In 2007, for example, there were 108,000 immigrants who received a degree in Asia and had landed in Canada before 1997; their employment rate was 7.1 percentage points lower than their Canadian-born counterparts."
It said that the difference “was even more pronounced" among those who immigrated between 2002 to 2007, more than half of whom, or 320,000 had a university degree. (See table)
Asian, female, jobless
The study also noted that most highly educated professionals who came to Canada from 2002 to 2007 were composed of Asian immigrants.
“Over half had received their highest degree in Asia, followed distantly by Europe, Canada, Africa, Latin America, and the United States," the study said.
Of these immigrants from 2002 to 2007, nearly half were Asian women who found it hard to find work in Canada.
“However, their participation in the labor force was significantly lower, particularly for those born or educated in Asia," the study noted.
Other factors
Past studies also pointed out other factors than made it difficult for non-Western immigrants to fully participate in the Canadian labor market.
These, according to Statistics Canada, included difficulties in foreign credential recognition, language barriers, comparability of educational attainment, lack of Canadian work experience and knowledge of the Canadian labor market.
The gap in employment rates between degree-holder immigrants and their Canadian-born counterparts “narrowed the longer an immigrant had been in Canada," according to the study.
Statistics Canada said British Columbia with high proportion of Asian immigrants “had the highest share of immigrants with a degree from Asia."
Quebec had the highest proportion of immigrants who got their university degrees from Canada, while immigrants with Asian or Canadian degrees were “most common" in Ontario.
Statistics Canada or Statistique Canada in French is a bureau under the Canadian federal government. It is commissioned to produce statistics on Canada's population, resources, economy, society, and culture.
Often called StatCan or StatsCan, the bureau had been considered the world's best statistical organization by the Public Policy Forum, The Economist, and other groups.
Filipinos in Canada
There are about 400,000 Filipinos in Canada who are mostly living in urbanized areas, based on data gathered by Wikipedia.
It said that Filipino-Canadians were the third largest Asian-Canadian group in the country after Indians and Chinese.
From 2001 to 2006 the number of Filipinos in Canada grew by 33 percent to 410,695 from 308,575. About 20,500 Filipinos migrated to Canada yearly during the said period.
Based on Canada’s 2006 Census, most Filipinos were living in Ontario (203,215); British Columbia (94,250); Alberta (54,305); Manitoba (39,205); and Quebec (25,680). - text and graphics by AR SABANGAN, GMANews.TV
According to a July 18, 2008 study by Statistics Canada, only 65.5 percent of university-educated Asian immigrants aged 25 to 54 found jobs in Canada from 2002 to 2007.
The figure was low compared with 77.8 percent of immigrant professionals from the United States under the same age bracket who from the same period found employment in Canada.
The Asian professionals' Canadian-born counterparts were the most employed, with a rating of 90.7 percent, the study showed.
“Employment rates for these immigrants varied according to where they received their university degree, with those educated in Western countries generally having higher rates than those educated elsewhere," the study noted.
Meanwhile, job hunting for degree-holder immigrants from other non-Western regions such as Africa and Latin America proved to be a lot more difficult.
The same study showed that only about half or 50.9 percent of African immigrant professionals found jobs in Canada from 2002 to 2007, while only more than half or 59.7 percent of Latin Americans were employed during the same period.
Highly educated, but less employed
Statistics Canada said that while there were more immigrants with university degrees than Canadian-born citizens, the latter got better employment opportunities than their counterparts.
It said that in 2007, 37 percent or 1.2 million immigrants with “core working" age of 24 to 54 had a university degree, but only 22 percent of their Canadian-born counterparts were university-educated.
The study observed “significant gaps" in employment rates between immigrants that got their degrees from foreign institutions and Canadian-born professionals.
“In 2007, for example, there were 108,000 immigrants who received a degree in Asia and had landed in Canada before 1997; their employment rate was 7.1 percentage points lower than their Canadian-born counterparts."
It said that the difference “was even more pronounced" among those who immigrated between 2002 to 2007, more than half of whom, or 320,000 had a university degree. (See table)
Asian, female, jobless
The study also noted that most highly educated professionals who came to Canada from 2002 to 2007 were composed of Asian immigrants.
“Over half had received their highest degree in Asia, followed distantly by Europe, Canada, Africa, Latin America, and the United States," the study said.
Of these immigrants from 2002 to 2007, nearly half were Asian women who found it hard to find work in Canada.
“However, their participation in the labor force was significantly lower, particularly for those born or educated in Asia," the study noted.
Other factors
Past studies also pointed out other factors than made it difficult for non-Western immigrants to fully participate in the Canadian labor market.
These, according to Statistics Canada, included difficulties in foreign credential recognition, language barriers, comparability of educational attainment, lack of Canadian work experience and knowledge of the Canadian labor market.
The gap in employment rates between degree-holder immigrants and their Canadian-born counterparts “narrowed the longer an immigrant had been in Canada," according to the study.
Statistics Canada said British Columbia with high proportion of Asian immigrants “had the highest share of immigrants with a degree from Asia."
Quebec had the highest proportion of immigrants who got their university degrees from Canada, while immigrants with Asian or Canadian degrees were “most common" in Ontario.
Statistics Canada or Statistique Canada in French is a bureau under the Canadian federal government. It is commissioned to produce statistics on Canada's population, resources, economy, society, and culture.
Often called StatCan or StatsCan, the bureau had been considered the world's best statistical organization by the Public Policy Forum, The Economist, and other groups.
Filipinos in Canada
There are about 400,000 Filipinos in Canada who are mostly living in urbanized areas, based on data gathered by Wikipedia.
It said that Filipino-Canadians were the third largest Asian-Canadian group in the country after Indians and Chinese.
From 2001 to 2006 the number of Filipinos in Canada grew by 33 percent to 410,695 from 308,575. About 20,500 Filipinos migrated to Canada yearly during the said period.
Based on Canada’s 2006 Census, most Filipinos were living in Ontario (203,215); British Columbia (94,250); Alberta (54,305); Manitoba (39,205); and Quebec (25,680). - text and graphics by AR SABANGAN, GMANews.TV
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