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HUMA Committee Report

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APPENDIX A: STATISTICS ON THE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED
INDIVIDUALS AND FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS RECOGNITION

a) Statistics on Internationally Trained Individuals

Table 1 shows the number of internationally trained individuals (ITIs) who obtained a post-secondary diploma, by country where it was obtained. In 2006, roughly 1.3 million Canadians between the ages of 25 and 54 obtained their highest post-secondary diploma abroad.[1] The vast majority (91%) were immigrants or non-permanent residents. There were also approximately 120,000 non-immigrants who obtained their highest post-secondary diploma abroad, a large proportion of them (70%) in the United States.

Among recent immigrants (immigrated between 2001 and 2006), the most common countries of study are China, India and Philippines. The proportion of ITIs who graduated in China is much higher among immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2006 (15.3%) than among non-recent immigrants (7.3%), whereas the opposite is true for ITIs who graduated in the United States (4.8% among recent immigrants, 7.7% among non-recent immigrants) or the United Kingdom (3.6% among recent immigrants, 7.4% among non-recent immigrants).

Table 1 – Number of Internationally Trained Individuals by Immigrant Status and Country of Study, Ages 25 to 54, 2006

Country of study

Non- immigrants

Recent immigrants
(2001 to 2006)

Non-recent immigrants (before 2001)

Non-permanent residents

Total

United States

84,545

20,640

50,850

12,015

168,055

India

255

51,475

65,615

4,030

121,375

Philippines

175

38,375

69,445

12,135

120,135

China

30

66,070

48,495

3,860

118,455

United Kingdom

16,780

15,530

49,005

6,360

87,670

Pakistan

130

20,290

20,800

1,365

42,585

France

3,220

12,350

16,080

4,800

36,455

Other

16,080

206,190

343,200

46,965

612,455

Total

121,215

430,925

663,495

91,530

1,307,165

Note:    Non-immigrants are Canadian citizens born in Canada and may include a small number of individuals born abroad to Canadian parents. Non-permanent residents are individuals from another country who held a work permit or study permit or were claiming refugee status, as well as members of their family living with them in Canada.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census, Topic-based Tabulations, Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (9), Labour Force Activity (8), Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree (7), Location of Study (16), Age Groups (9) and Sex (3).

Table 2 shows the number and proportion of ITIs by field of study. Fields are ordered by decreasing order of the number of ITIs. Architecture, engineering and other technologies has the highest number of ITIs.

Overall, ITIs accounted for 15.2% of the Canadian labour force aged 25 to 54 who hold a post-secondary diploma. The proportion of men (15.4%) is more or less the same as the proportion of women (15.0%).

Table 2 – Number and Proportion of Internationally Trained Individuals
by Field of Study and Sex, Ages 25 to 54, 2006

Field of study

Men

Women

Total

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Architecture, engineering, and related technologies

257,565

15.1

61,205

34.6

318,770

16.9

Business, management and public administration

104,605

15.5

161,375

12.9

265,975

13.8

Health, parks, recreation and fitness

41,755

19.6

105,305

11.6

147,060

13.1

Social and behavioural sciences and law

46,830

15.5

83,895

13.9

130,725

14.4

Humanities

31,265

19.0

68,040

25.4

99,300

22.9

Education

17,120

13.6

63,070

15.1

80,195

14.8

Mathematics, computer and information sciences

46,900

17.2

33,295

19.0

80,190

17.9

Physical and life sciences and technologies

37,430

24.5

38,020

26.5

75,455

25.5

Visual and performing arts, and communications technologies

18,445

12.5

28,690

16.2

47,130

14.5

Personal, protective and transportation services

17,940

7.0

16,330

6.2

34,265

6.6

Agriculture, natural resources and conservation

17,310

13.0

10,690

15.5

28,005

13.9

Total

637,185

15.4

669,975

15.0

1,307,160

15.2

Note:    The aggregate for the various fields is different from the overall total because “Other”, which includes multidisciplinary programs, the number of which is very
small, was not included.

Source: Authors’ calculations based on Statistics Canada, 2006 Census, Topic-based Tabulations, Activity; highest certificate, diploma or degree; location of study;
major field of study
.

The proportion of ITIs is highest in physical and life sciences and technologies (25.5%) and humanities (22.9%) and lowest in personal, protective and transportation services (6.6%).

Finally, in architecture, engineering and related technologies, the proportion of workers who studied outside Canada is much higher among women (34.6%) than men (15.1%).

Table 3 shows the unemployment rate among ITIs from the same countries and in the same fields of study shown in tables 1 and 2. In 2006, the unemployment rate among individuals age 25 to 54 with a post-secondary degree or diploma was 4.7%. The rate was 7.1% among ITIs and 4.2% among individuals trained in Canada.

The unemployment rate among ITIs who studied in certain countries, such as Pakistan (10.2%) and China (9.4%), was higher than the average for all ITIs, whereas the opposite was true among ITIs who studied in the Philippines (4.0%), the United Kingdom (4.2%) and the United States (4.3%)

Finally, the unemployment rate among ITIs who studied in certain fields was roughly double the rate among individuals trained in Canada. Those fields are education, physical sciences, health and social sciences.

Table 3 – Unemployment Rate, by Country and Field of Study Where The Highest Post-Secondary Diploma Was Obtained, Ages 25 to 54, 2006

Country and Field of Study

Unemployment Rate

Country of Study

 

Pakistan

10.2

China

9.4

India

7.5

France

6.6

United States

4.3

United Kingdom

4.2

Philippines

4.0

Other countries

8.4

Field of Study

Outside Canada

In Canada

Social and behavioural sciences and law

8.6

4.2

Visual and performing arts, and communications

8.0

5.3

Mathematics, computer and information sciences

7.9

5.2

Humanities

7.8

4.6

Physical and life sciences and technologies

7.6

3.9

Business, management and public administration

7.4

4.1

Agriculture, natural resources and conservation

6.5

4.6

Education

6.3

2.5

Health, parks, recreation and fitness

6.2

3.2

Personal, protective and transportation services

6.1

5.7

Agriculture, natural resources and conservation

6.1

4.8

Total (all fields of study)

7.1

4.2

Total (Canada and outside Canada)

4.7

Source: Authors’ calculations based on Statistics Canada, 2006 Census, Topic-based Tabulations, Activity; highest certificate,
diploma or degree; location of study; major field of study
.

b) Data on Foreign Qualifications Recognition

Between 2001 and 2005, Statistics Canada conducted the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada. Immigrants who came to Canada between October 2000 and September 2001 were interviewed six months, two years and four years after they landed. The survey included questions pertaining to the recognition of foreign credentials and experience. After four years, 28% and 12% of the immigrants respectively reported that their credentials had been fully or partially accepted, and 39% and 18% respectively reported that their foreign professional experience had been fully or partially recognized. In addition, 40% had not had their credentials assessed because they did not need to, did not think they would be recognized, or for some other reason.[2]

Table 4 shows the probability that an immigrant’s credentials and experience were recognized four years after the immigrant landed based on a series of explanatory variables. These probabilities are based on a statistical analysis that takes all other explanatory variables into account. For example, the difference between the probability of a diploma obtained by a man or woman being recognized is statistically insignificant when other characteristics (age, region, etc.) are taken into account.

The following groups were particularly less likely to have their credentials recognized: individuals age 45 to 59, individuals in a class of immigrants other than skilled workers (especially refugees), individuals who did not speak English or French well and residents of Alberta, British Columbia or the territories.

On the other side of the coin, immigrants who lived in Canada before they landed (as temporary workers, for instance) or had a job waiting for them in Canada before they arrived were more likely to have had their credentials recognized. Immigrants who studied in the United States or the United Kingdom and immigrants with a university degree (as opposed to some college or other post-secondary education) were also more likely to have their credentials recognized (not shown in Table 4).

Women, older individuals, immigrants other than skilled workers, visible minorities, immigrants not fluent in English or French, and residents of Quebec were less likely to have their foreign experience recognized.

Table 4 – Probability (%) of an Immigrant’s Credentials and Experience Being Recognized Four Years after Landing, by Selected Characteristics, 2000-2005

Characteristics

Credentials

Work experience

Sex

   

Men (reference)

36

56

Women

32

 48**

Age at landing

   

18 to 24

39

50

25 to 34 (reference)

32

48

35 to 44

 28*

 43*

45 to 59

 21**

 35**

Visible minority status

   

No (reference)

28

52

Yes

31

 42**

Immigrant category

   

Skilled immigrant, principal applicant (reference)

39

56

Skilled immigrant, spouse and dependents

 23**

 39**

Family class

 20**

 37**

Refugee

 12**

 17**

Provincial nominees, business immigrants, other

 18**

 24**

Lived in Canada at least one year before landing

   

No (reference)

29

44

Yes

 43*

51

Job arranged prior to landing

   

No (reference)

29

42

Yes

 40**

 87**

Self-assessed spoken language knowledge

   

Very well (reference)

32

50

Well

32

46

Fairly well

 21**

 34**

Poorly, not at all

 23**

 41**

Region

   

Ontario (reference)

32

47

Atlantic

 59*

52

Quebec

28

 32**

Prairies

48

39

Alberta

 24**

54

British Columbia and territories

 23**

49

Note: statistically significant from reference category, at a level of: *95%; ** 99%.

Source: René Houle and Lahouria Yssaad, "Recognition of newcomers’ foreign credentials and work experience", Perspectives, Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2010, No. 75-001-X in Statistics Canada catalogue.



[1]               At the time of publication of this report, data from the 2011 Census on countries of study and education level were not available.

[2]               René Houle and Lahouria Yssaad, "Recognition of newcomers’ foreign credentials and work experience", Perspectives, Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2010, Statistics Canada. This study uses data from 2001 to 2005 – before most federal FQR programs were put in place.