Finding a job has become a critical challenge to many youth. Immigrant youth, who have been a key part of the global migrants, are particularly vulnerable when entering the job market of the host country due to various structural barriers. However, in both public policy discourse and research, their labour market experience tends to be overlooked. In this paper, we report the employment experience of recently arrived immigrant youth based on an analysis of the LSIC and findings of in-depth interviews of 82 immigrant youth in four cities in Canada. Our results reveal that recently arrived immigrant youth tend to work in lower-skilled employment, experience significant delays in finding employment, have difficulties with foreign credential recognition, and have fewer means to access to job markets.
Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as refugees. Studies on occupational achievements and labour market status have been largely ignored in favour of studies on adult migrants rather than on youth. This paper uses data collected from two sources: a national study of newly-arrived newcomer youth living in Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver using qualitative interviews, and a quantitative analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The focus of this paper is to use these datasets to better understand the high school trajectory of recently arrived newcomer youth and compare their experiences. We are particularly interested in the influence of education attained in Canada compared to education attained outside of Canada and the differences, if any, in labour market outcomes. The findings reveal distinctly slower trajectories through high school among those arriving as refugees, those lacking English or French language instruction prior to arrival, and issues with grade placement. These are identified as significant barriers to entering post-secondary education and to subsequent labour market success.
Parmi les immigrants au Canada, plus de la moitié ont moins de 29 ans et un quart sont des réfugiés. Les études sur ce qu’ils ont réalisé sur le plan professionnel et sur leur statut dans le marché du travail ont été largement laissées pour compte en faveur de celles portant sur les émigrés adultes plutôt que sur les jeunes. Cet article s’appuie sur une collecte de données provenant de deux sources : une étude nationale sur les jeunes nouveaux arrivants qui vivent à Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg et Vancouver et reposant sur des entrevues qualitatives, et une analyse quantitative de l’Enquête longitudinale sur les immigrants au Canada (ELIC). Notre objectif est de se servir de ces données pour mieux comprendre la trajectoire scolaire au niveau secondaire de jeunes récemment arrivés et de comparer leurs expériences. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à l’influence de l’éducation acquise au Canada par rapport à celle reçue à l’étranger et les différences, s’il y en a, pour les possibilités d’emploi. Ce qui se révèle nettement, c’est une scolarité secondaire à un rythme plus lent parmi les réfugiés et ceux qui n’ont pas eu d’enseignement en anglais ou en français avant de venir ici, et des problèmes de niveau scolaire. Ce sont là des obstacles significatifs pour le passage au niveau post-secondaire et pour des chances de succès sur le marché du travail.
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