Professional immigrants with at least a bachelor’s degree can get employed in the Canadian workforce. Two studies that were done in 2016 show that immigrants aged 18-64 make up nearly a third of the Canadian workforce. A study dubbed “Skill Utilization and Earnings of STEM-educated Immigrants in Canada: Differences by Degree Level and Field of Study” was keen to examine comparisons on employment rate and education-occupation match among immigrants and Canadian-born possessing any science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) certifications. The differences between the two were explicitly based on the field of study and degree level. Here are the contrasts between the two groups as per the survey:
1. Degree level
Most degree levels are associated with different benefits, especially those of immigrants. Immigrants with a doctoral degree have the same employment rate compared to their Canadian counterparts. Even so, the numbers slightly differed, as 62% of immigrants get employed in STEM-related fields compared to Canadians with similar socio-demographic traits. On the other hand, Canadian-born workers have a higher employment rate at 61%.
However, most immigrants that possess a doctoral degree had an education in Canada, U.S.A, France, or the United Kingdom. Canadians with a bachelor’s degree faced a much higher chance of employment in STEM-related fields compared to immigrants. The concise numbers of immigrant employees having a bachelor’s degree stand at 39% compared to Canadian-born workers, which is 47%.
