A chorus of voices is demanding that government determines how to help immigrants “hit the ground running” after a comprehensive new study showed the gap in unemployment between newcomers and Canadian-born workers is getting worse.
Statistics Canada yesterday reported a rising tide in employment in 2007 has failed to carry recent immigrants with it. And the picture is worse in 2007 than in 2006, particularly in the GTA.
Employment among all working-age immigrants rose slightly across Canada, thanks to a boom in employment for immigrants in Quebec and Alberta and stronger results for established immigrants.
In Ontario, the unemployment rate for immigrants rose slightly to 6.8 per cent in 2007 while the rate for Canadian-born workers stayed the same at 4.4 per cent. For immigrants who have arrived in Ontario in the last five years, the rate is 11.9 per cent; in Toronto it’s 12.7.
