Abstract
Using the Canadian Labour Force Survey for March of 2006 through 2012, the present study examines precarious employment and trends over time between immigrants (recent and established) and their Canadian-born counterparts. The regression models are run separately for males and females as existing research shows that many precarious jobs are occupied predominantly by women. The findings of the present study show recent immigrant males and females (respondents in the sample who have lived in Canada for five years or less) are over-represented in involuntary part-time work and this trend is increasing over time. The pattern is not as pronounced for multiple-job holders nor for temporary-job holders.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The results will be reported as odds ratios.
According to Wanner (2013), in the March 2007, LFS, the correlation between subwt and finalwt is approximately 0.97 and regression coefficients estimated using the two weights are equal to the fifth decimal point. Therefore, they are virtually interchangeable.
References
Aydemir, A. (2002). Effects of selection criteria and economic opportunities on the characteristics of immigrants. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Aydemir, A. (2003). Effects of business cycles on the labour market assimilation of immigrants. In C. Beach & G. Alan (Eds.), Canadian immigration policy for the 21st century. Kingston: Queen's University Press.
Aydermir, A., & Skuterud, M. (2005). Explaining the deteriorating entry earnings of Canada’s immigrant cohorts: 1966-2000. Canadian Journal of Economics, 38, 641–672.
Banerjee, R. (2009). Income growth of new immigrants in Canada: evidence from the survey of labour and income dynamics. Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, 64(3), 466–508.
Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Association are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. The American Economic Review, 94(4), 991–1013.
Boyd, M., & Schellenberg, G. (2007). Re-accreditation and occupations of immigrant doctors and engineers. Canadian Social Trends, 84, 2–10.
Boyd, M., & Thomas, D. (2001). Match or mismatch? The labour market performances of foreign-born engineers. Population Research and Policy Review, 20, 107–133.
Boyd, M., & Thomas, D. (2002). Skilled immigrant labour: country of origin and the occupational locations of male engineers. Canadian Studies in Population, 29(1), 71–79.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/DC-eng.epub. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Cross, P. (2010). How did the 2008–2010 recession and recovery compare with previous cycles? Canadian Economic Observer, Statistics Canada. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-010-x/2011001/part-partie3-eng.htm. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Ferrer, A., & Riddell, W. C. (2008). Education, credentials, and immigrant earnings. The Canadian Journal of Economics, 41(1), 186–216.
Frenette, M., & Morrisette, R. (2005). Will they ever converge? Earnings of immigrant and Canadian-born workers over the last two decades. International Migration Review, 39(1), 228–257.
Fudge, J., & Vosko, L. (2001). Gender, segmentation and the standard employment relationship in Canadian labour law and policy. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 22, 271–310.
Gilmore, J. (2009). The 2008 Canadian immigrant labour market: analysis of quality of employment. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Grant, T. (2013). Canada’s shift to a nation of temporary workers. Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/jobs/canadas-shift-to-a-nation-of-temporary-workers/article11721139/
Houle, R. and Yassad, L. (2010). Recognition of newcomers’ foreign credentials and work experience. Perspectives (Catalogue no. 75–001-X), 18–33. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2010109/article/11342-eng.htm. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Kalleberg, A. (2008). Precarious work, insecure workers: employment relations in transition. In Paper presented at the 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. Chapel Hill: University of North.
Kimmel, J., & Powell, L. (1999). Moonlighting trends and related policy issues in Canada and the United States. Canadian Public Policy, 25(2), 207–231.
LaRochelle-Côté, S. & Gilmore, J. (2009). Canada’s employment downturn. Perspectives Catalogue no. 75–001-X. Retrieved from http://statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/2009112/pdf/11048-eng.pdf. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Oreopoulos, P. (2009). Why do skilled immigrants struggle in the labor market? A field experiment with six thousand resumes (No. w15036). National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w15036. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Oreopoulos, P., & Dechief, D. (2011). Why do some employers prefer to interview Mathew, but not Samir? New evidence from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Vancouver: Metropolis British Columbia: Center of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Diversity.
Pandey, M., & Townsend, J. (2011). Quantifying the effects of the provincial nominee programs. Canadian Public Policy, 37(4), 495–512.
Pendakur, K., & Pendakur, R. (1998). The colour of money: earnings differentials among ethnic groups in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Economics, 31, 518–548.
Picot, G., & Sweetman, A. (2005). The deteriorating economic welfare of immigrants and possible causes: update 2005. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Schellenberg, G., & Clark, C. (1996). Temporary employment in Canada: profiles, patterns and policy considerations. Ottawa: Centre for International Statistics at the Canadian Council on Social Development.
StataCorp (2013). Stata Statistical Software: Release 13. College Station, TX: Statacorp LP.
Statistics Canada (2008). Guide to the Labour Force Survey 2008 (Vol. Catalogue no. 71-543-G): Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2008/statcan/71-543-G/71-543-GIE2008001.pdf. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Statistics Canada (2012). Guide to the Labour Force Survey 2012 (Vol. Catalogue no. 71-543-G): Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/71-543-g/71-543-g2012001-eng.pdf. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Statistics Canada (2013). Guide to the Labour Force Survey 2013 (Vol. Catalogue no. 71-543-G): Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/71-543-g/71-543-g2013001-eng.pdf.
Tilly, C. (1991). Reasons for the continuing growth of part-time employment. Monthly Labour Review 114 no. 3 (pp. 10–18). U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1991/03/art2full.pdf. Accessed 4 September 2017.
Tilly, C. (1998). Part-time work: a mobilizing issue. New Politics, 6(4), 19–26.
Vosko, L.F., Zukewich, N., & Cranford, C. (2003). Precarious jobs: a new typology of employment. Perspectives on labour and income, 15(4), 16–26.
Wanner, R. (2013). Adjusting for the complex sample design in the Canadian Labour Force Survey using Stata. Unpublished Working Paper. Prairie Regional Data Centre.
Worwick, C. (2004). Adaptation and inequality: children of immigrants in Canadian schools. Canadian Journal of Economics, 37(1), 53–77.
Yssaad, L. (2012). The immigrant labour force analysis series. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Zietsma, D. (2010). Immigrants working in regulated occupations. Perspectives on Labour and Income, 22(1), 51.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hira-Friesen, P. Immigrants and Precarious Work in Canada: Trends, 2006–2012. Int. Migration & Integration 19, 35–57 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-017-0518-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-017-0518-0