A Study of the Unemployment Status of Immigrants in the Toronto Labour Market

Abstract

Using 2006 Census data, this paper examines the performance and integration of immigrants in the Toronto labour market by focusing on one specific outcome: the unemployment rate. Demographic, human capital and immigration characteristics are taken into account in the econometric analyses of the determinants of the unemployment of immigrants. Those factors are investigated for males and females respectively to see if the influences differ by gender. This study finds that immigrants are better integrated into the Canadian labour market as the years of residence in Canada increase, and the effect is more significant for females. Furthermore, foreign-acquired credentials are an important barrier to immigrants’ integration. Immigrants from different places of origin perform differently in Toronto’s labour market. However, contrary to some other studies, the absence of knowledge of the official languages does not seem to affect the unemployment of both male and female immigrants in Toronto’s labour market.