Statistics Canada recently released a report for 2023 concerning the immigrant employment rate in 2023. As per it, there is a clear relation between core working-age immigrant employment rate and their length of time in Canada.

In particular, the report examined the employment and unemployment of two general groups of immigrants. These include immigrants aged 15 years or older and those aged 25 to 54 years old. Statistics Canada classifies the 25 to 54 years of age as core working age. 

Notably, this article will revolve around core working-age Canadian immigrants. This is because they account for a more significant proportion of yearly immigrants to Canada and are a higher priority for the Canadian immigration system.

Core Working Age Immigrant Employment Rate in 2023

In 2023, the core working-age immigrants in Canada had an increase in their employment rate proportional to the number of years since their arrival. 

In simple terms, in 2023, the employment rate was highest among 25-to-54-year-old immigrants who arrived in Canada more than a decade ago. Additionally, this was lowest for core working-age immigrants who arrived in Canada five or fewer years ago.

The following are the figures determined by Statistics Canada for the Immigrant employment rate in 2023 among core working-age immigrants:

  • 77.8% was the employment rate for Immigrants who arrived 5 or fewer years ago
  • 81.9% was the employment rate for Immigrants who arrived between 5 to 10 ago
  • 84.5% was the employment rate for Immigrants who arrived over 10 years ago.

In particular, in 2023, the overall employment rate among immigrants was 82.6%. This was around 4% lower than the core employment rate of Canada-born individuals of the core working-age population, which stands at 86.3%.

In addition, it’s significant to note that the 2023 employment rate figures are the highest since 2019 for two of the three immigrant sub-groups.

Remarkably, after reaching 81% in 2019, the employment rate for immigrants in Canada aged 5 to 10 years declined to 74.4% in 2020. 

Since then, this number has gradually increased to the rate given for 2023.

Additionally, immigrants who have been in Canada for at least ten years have witnessed their employment rate peak at 83.2% prior to dropping in 2023 to 77.9%. The rate has also risen steadily in the past 3 years until now.

When considering immigrants who arrived in Canada five or fewer years earlier, they experienced an employment rate of 71.1% in 2019.

Although the rate recovered after falling in 2020 to 69.3%, this group of immigrants witnessed a drop in their employment rate between 2022 and 2023 from 78% to 77.8%.

Notably, the decrease in the employment rate in 2022 can be associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Core working-age immigrant Unemployment Rate last year

In 2023, the unemployment rate of core working-age immigrants

reflects a similar trend for better employment results with more time since arrival in Canada.

The following are the figures determined by Statistics Canada for the Immigrant unemployment rate in 2023 among core working-age immigrants:

  •  8.0% was the unemployment rate for Immigrants who arrived 5 or fewer years ago
  • 5.2% was the unemployment rate for Immigrants who arrived between 5 to 10 ago
  • 4.7% was the unemployment rate for Immigrants who arrived over 10 years ago.

It’s significant to note that when the unemployment rate of each sub-group peaked in 2020, all three groups of immigrants who arrived in Canada witnessed a drop in the unemployment rate in 2021 but climbed in the previous two years.

The high rates that each group attained in 2020 is compared to the data that goes back to 2019.

Immigrants who arrived in Canada 5 or fewer years ago

  • 2021: 8.6%
  • 2022: 7.7%
  • 2023: 8.0%

Individuals who arrived in Canada between 5 to 10 years ago

  • 2021: 8.7%
  • 2022: 4.9%
  • 2023: 5.2%

Immigrants who arrived in Canada over 10 years ago

  • 2021: 7.1%
  • 2022: 4.6%
  • 2023: 4.7%

Note: For comparison, the unemployment rate among Canadian-born people of core working age was 4.0% in 2023. This was an increase from 3.9% in 2022.

Additional important statistics concerning newcomer employment last year.

In 2023, the labor force participation rate was highest concerning longest-tenured immigrants

  • 84.6% was the labor force participation rate for Immigrants who arrived 5 or fewer years ago
  • 86.3% was the labor force participation rate for Immigrants who arrived between 5 to 10 ago
  • 88.7% was the labor force participation rate for Immigrants who arrived over 10 years ago.

Notably, 89.9% was the national labor force participation rate of Canadian-born core working-age population in 2023. 

Increase in full-time employment for all immigrant sub-groups during 2022 and 2023

According to Statistics Canada, full-time employment is when an individual works for 30 hours or more per week at their primary or only job.

The following figures are in the 1000s, which are then rounded to the nearest hundred.

Immigrants who arrived in Canada 5 or fewer years ago

2022: 600.7

2023: 647.1

Individuals who arrived in Canada between 5 to 10 years ago

2022: 667.6

2023: 676.4

Immigrants who arrived in Canada over 10 years ago

2022: 1961.0

2023: 2031.4

The part-time employment rate during 2022 and 2023 

According to Statistics Canada, part-time employment is when an individual works for less than 30 hours per week at their primary or only job.

The following figures are in the 1000s, which are then rounded to the nearest hundred.

Immigrants who arrived in Canada five or fewer years ago, between 2022 and 2023, experienced a rise in part-time employment during the past two years. This was 73.1 in 2022, which increased to 75.8 in 2023. 

This is also true for the Immigrants who arrived in Canada at least ten years earlier. This age group noticed a part-time employment increase from 249.3 to 252.7 between 2022 and 2023.

Although these two groups noticed a rise in part-time employment rate, one group noticed a decline. Immigrants who arrived in Canada between five and ten years earlier experienced a drop in the part-time employment rate. It went from 88.1 in 2022 to 76.1 in 2023.

Are you interested in immigrating to Canada but have concerns about the process and pathways? Feel free to connect with our experienced immigration experts for help at NavaImmigration. You can also send us an email at [email protected]