Future of work
A curated resource of recent research on trends shaping Canada's labour market.
This TRIEC report explores the challenges faced by skilled immigrant women who arrived in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) between 2011 and 2020. The study combined an online survey with in-depth interviews with 365 immigrant professionals and 608 employers.
The immigrant respondents are women aged 25–54, with an average of eight years’ work experience prior to immigration. Nearly 80% of them identify as racialized and two-thirds have graduate degrees. Regardless of their employment backgrounds, nearly half noted that it took more than six months to land their first job in the city.
Several noted lack of Canadian work experience to be a significant barrier to finding employment, and more than half decided to minimize their educational experience to secure a job, suggesting that their skills are significantly underutilized.
Among the employers surveyed, more than half reported strategies to attract immigrants through hiring practices, yet only a third reported having pathways for career advancement once hired.
Based on these findings, the authors recommend providing stronger pre-arrival information sharing and supports, improved coordination and accountability of employment-related programs for newcomers, targeted employment services to support immigrant women, as well as education and recruitment programs that specifically address workplace barriers for immigrant women.