On average immigrants are more educated upon arrival in Canada than their Canadian-born counterparts, according to the latest data released from last year’s National Household Survey.
The survey, which replaced the mandatory census used to obtain demographic data in previous years, found that although immigrants make up only about a quarter of the population, they hold approximately one-third of university degrees in the country.
However, despite this statistic, immigrants are generally under-employed in the Canadian workforce and often have to settle for low-skilled work outside their field of expertise. Language difficulties and credential recognition have long been touted as the main culprits of such underemployment and recently the government has increased efforts to address these challenges.
One such recent effort was a retooling of the Skilled Worker Immigration system, which awards points to applicants based on attributes such as age, experience and education. This spring the program re-opened with a shift in emphasis away from experience and toward language and youth. Additionally applicants are awarded points for having a pre-arranged job offer in Canada.
Immigrants tend to hold degrees in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering, math and computer science. In fact, they make up about half of the STEM degree holders in Canada.
Source: National Post
