Breaking Barriers: Unlocking the Potential of London's Immigrant Workforce
London is one of Canada’s fastest growing areas, mainly due to people having immigrated here from other parts of Canada and from other countries over the last five years. This benefits London because its labour force is maintained or augmented, even as its population is aging and birth rate is below replacement level.
Furthermore, immigrants are highly educated. The 2021 Census data show that 40% of immigrants aged 25 to 64 have Bachelor’s or higher degree, which is 12% higher than among non-immigrants. However, at all levels of education, except those with no certificate, diploma or degree, the average total income in 2020 is lower for immigrants aged 25 to 64 than for non-immigrants of the same age. The biggest differences in average income are among those with a University certificate and those with a Bachelor’s or higher degree.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0439-01 Employment income statistics by visible minority, highest level of education, immigrant status and income year: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with partsDOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/9810043901-eng
One often mentioned reason for the lower economic outcome for immigrants is language fluency, as immigrants may not know English well enough to be understood in workplaces. This may be true to a certain extent, especially for immigrants with low levels of education. This is why English as a Second Language (ESL) is one the services offered by agencies and organizations serving immigrants in London.
For many of those who have Bachelor’s or professional degrees, the more relevant factor may be under-employment of immigrants. One of the reasons for this is non-recognition of degrees obtained outside of Canada. For example, registered nurses working as personal support workers, trained physicians, engineers, and other skilled professionals working as taxi or Uber drivers.
Some professions are remedying the situation. Ontario’s physician regulator, for example, is making it easier for doctors trained in the U.S., Ireland, Australia, and Britain to practice medicine in the province. Clearly, however, this may not be of much help as many immigrant physicians have trained outside of these places.
Racism is another factor. The 2021 report on Discrimination Experienced by Immigrants, Visible Minorities, and Indigenous Peoples in London and Middlesex showed that among immigrants and racialized groups, those who are employed are more likely to experience discrimination than those who are unemployed, retired, students, or homemakers. Likewise, immigrants and racialized groups with graduate or professional degrees are more likely to have experienced discrimination than those with lower levels of education.
Young, highly educated individuals whether immigrants or non-immigrants are more mobile as they have a greater capacity to move when conditions for employment are not conducive for them to stay. London may be attracting highly educated immigrants but would it be able to retain them for long? Data from Statistics Canada on mobility of immigrant tax filers show that the 2020 retention rate for those admitted in 2015 is lower in London, than in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor-Sarnia, and Hamilton-Niagara.
LMLIP Fact Sharing Work Group