Future of work

 
This economic report assesses the potential impacts of recent immigration target increases and immigrant labour market trends on Canada’s provincial economies. From 2015–2019, immigrants accounted for over 70% of employment gains despite only accounting for a quarter of the population over the age of 15. Net new positions among immigrants outpaced those of Canadian-born workers in every province. This could be explained by an increase in federal and provincial funding for programs that support newcomer labour market integration.

Further analysis of these findings shows that immigrants to the Prairie region, as well as Central and Atlantic Canada, saw the best gains in labour market outcomes. Looking at 2020–2022 data, immigrants who landed within the last five years or “recent immigrants” accounted for more new net employment nationally than the Canadian-born population. Federal policy decisions during the pandemic contributed to this, as several temporary resident categories (e.g. temporary workers and international students) were granted permanent status to help reach immigration targets. Finally, the authors stress that the greater the alignment between the skills needed and the immigrants admitted, the better immigrants will ultimately fare in Canada.