Economic and Social Reports

Spotlight on data and research

Foreign workers in Canada: Industry retention after transitioning to permanent residency among work permit holders for work purposes

Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) can play a long-lasting role in alleviating labour shortages. However, not all TFWs remain in their initial industries after gaining permanent residency (PR). This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the industry retention of TFWs after their PR transition. It found that five years after transitioning, 43% of work permit holders who became PRs between 2011 and 2015 remained in the same industrial sector.

Retention rates were below 25% in sectors like agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; real estate and rental and leasing; and administrative and support, waste management, and remediation services. In contrast, retention was 65% in the health care and social assistance sector. In accommodation and food services and professional, scientific and technical services (two of the largest sectors hiring work permit holders) the retention rate was 47% and 45%, respectively.

Full article PDF version

Research articles

Cumulative earnings of Black, Chinese, South Asian and White individuals born in Canada

Comparisons of earnings between population groups at a point in time may not offer a complete picture of the differences in lifetime earnings if the groups follow different earnings trajectories. This study follows two cohorts of 25-to-34-year-old Canadian-born individuals over a period of 20 years and shows that annual earnings of Chinese and South Asian men relative to those of White men increased over time. In contrast, earnings of Chinese women relative to those of White women declined over time. This finding highlights the importance of examining differences in earnings measured over a worker’s lifecycle.

The study shows that Canadian-born Chinese (+20%) and South Asian (+15%) men earned more than White men over a course of 20 years. This difference can be mostly accounted for by their higher education levels and overrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Chinese and South Asian women also earned more than their White counterparts.

Full article PDF version

Gender earnings ratio differences among population groups in Canada

This study explores how average annual earnings of men and women compare (including Canadian-born individuals, immigrants and temporary residents) within each of 11 population groups. Overall, in 2016, women earned 70 cents for every dollar that men earned. Black women had the highest earnings ratio, at 83.9 cents for every dollar of annual earnings for Black men, and Japanese women had the lowest earnings ratio at 59 cents for every one dollar of annual earnings for Japanese men.

However, Black men had the lowest earnings, on average, of men in the 11 groups, whereas men of Japanese origin had the highest annual earnings, on average, of all groups, surpassing those of White men. For all population groups, the main reasons for differences in earnings were women working fewer hours than men and in different sectors.

Full article PDF version

Exploring property crime and business locations: Using spatial analysis and firm count data to reveal correlations in Toronto, Ontario

It is generally thought that perceptions of crime in an area factor into consumers’ decisions of where to visit and business decisions of where to invest. This innovative new study explores the relationship between population, business counts, and property crime across Toronto from 2017 to 2020. Using 500 metre by 500 metre grids, these factors are mapped out across Toronto, separating residential and business areas to better understand how they relate to crime.

While crime might discourage businesses from locating in a neighbourhood, their presence may also create an opportunity for crime. After accounting for the population of grid squares, a positive association between business counts and crime was found specifically for consumer-facing businesses, which may face greater exposure to crime due to serving the broader public.

Full article PDF version