Immigrants' education and required job skills

During the 1991 to 2006 period, the proportion of immigrants with a university degree in jobs with low educational requirements increased, not only among recent immigrants but also among established ones. The increases for established immigrants suggest that the difficulties, which have long plagued recent immigrants, are not necessarily temporary. Changes in the profile of established immigrants - particularly language and country of origin - accounted for only a quarter of the deterioration for established immigrants.

Between 1991 and 2006, the proportion of male immigrants with a university degree in jobs with low educational requirements such as clerks, truck drivers, cashiers and taxi drivers increased from 12% to 21% for established immigrants, while the proportion remained stable at about 10% for native-born men.

From 1991 to 2006, the proportion of established female immigrants with a degree in jobs with low educational requirements increased more modestly from 24% to 29%, while remaining stable at around 12% for native-born women.

For recent immigrants, the proportion of university graduates in low-skill jobs increased between 1991 and 2006, but it remained within the levels measured for the period. These proportions were nearly 25% for men and a little under 40% for women.

In 1991, established immigrant men with a degree in a field of study leading to a regulated profession such as medicine, nursing, engineering, law and accounting had low-skill job rates comparable to those of native-born Canadian men. By 2006, these rates had increased sharply for both men and women, particularly for those trained in medicine and engineering.

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