Canadian newcomers are working more hours and securing more full-time employment opportunities as the economy recovers from COVID-19.
According to Statistics Canada’s September Labour Force Survey, employment in Canada grew by 2.1% in September. This brings the Canadian economy within 720,000 jobs from the pre-COVID employment levels seen in February.
The September report surpassed the 150,000 jobs that economists had predicted but the Canadian economy is still not out of the woods yet. The tourism and hospitality industries are still struggling and with no end in sight for Canadian travel restrictions, the future of these employment sectors is uncertain.
September’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) highlights
- Canada added 378,000 jobs in September.
- Of the 378,000 jobs, 334,000 were full-time positions.
- The unemployment rate declined from 10.2% to 9.0%
- Ontario and Quebec had the largest employment gains
- The newcomer employment rate increased by 1.7%.
Apart from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, every province added jobs, with Quebec and Ontario seeing the highest gains:
- Ontario added 167,000.
- Quebec added 76,000.
- British Columbia added 54,000.
- Alberta added 38,000.
The September LFS reflected a similar trend of growth for the Canadian economy that was seen through the spring and summer months following the losses in March and April. The record report for May saw nearly 1,000,000 million jobs created and was the sharpest increase. But as the Canadian economy claws back the losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of growth is slowing.
Newcomer employment rate increases
The newcomer employment rate increased by 1.7% for new arrivals. New arrivals, as defined in the Statistics Canada report, are newcomers who have landed in Canada more than five years ago. In September, the newcomer employment rate for recent arrivals was 57.8%, compared to 60% for native-born Canadians.
The employment rate for very recent newcomers (those who landed in the last five years) remained relatively unchanged at 63.6%.
Canada offers a host of newcomer services, some specifically tailored to finding work in Canada. ITC News recently interviewed the manager of Canada InfoNet which is a free service that connects newcomers with specialists in their field to help secure their dream job in Canada.
Rebecca Major
Lauren Boorman
