Male immigrants are more likely to participate in the workforce than women, who often face additional barriers, according to Parisa Mahboubi, a senior policy analyst at C.D. Howe Institute in Toronto.
“Generally, immigrants, either men or women, face various obstacles such as language barriers, lack of Canadian work experience and variable recognition for foreign education and experience,” Mahboubi said. “However, immigrant women face additional barriers related to household responsibilities and lack of affordable childcare, compared to immigrant men.”
Tech Mania
The broad-ranging category of “professional, scientific and technical services,” which includes lawyers, public-relations professionals and the burgeoning IT sector, was the largest source of male employment growth in Ontario.
Toronto wasn’t the only Ontario city churning out tech jobs in 2019. Waterloo is home to a university that’s at the forefront of machine learning and autonomous technology as well as the Perimeter Institute for theoretical physics. And Ottawa is the headquarters of tech darling Shopify Inc., which boasts more than 1,000 employees across its two offices in the capital city.
Patrick Grieve, a managing director at hireVouch, a Toronto-based tech recruitment agency, said employers can’t find workers fast enough and are prepared to pay up. Salaries range from about C$120,000 ($91,000) for those with three to five years experience to about C$160,000 for more senior workers. Those being wooed by large U.S. companies can earn even more.
“Almost every candidate that we work with gets multiple offers,” he said. “It’s probably the hardest time if you’re an employer, but if you’re looking for an opportunity or looking for a different opportunity then this is certainly the best time.”
Outlook
Royce Mendes, an economist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, has doubts the immigration surge will translate into rapid employment in 2020. He points out momentum in hiring cooled in the later part of 2019.
“A growing population actually increases the likelihood that soft demand for labor leads to a rising unemployment rate as there are potentially more working-age citizens that can’t find work,” Mendes wrote in a note.
In the meantime, O’Neill, the crane operator, doesn’t mind putting in all those extra hours on the job even if it means less time with his girlfriend.
“She’s very accepting and understanding, and obviously the paychecks at the end of the week help,” he said. “It’s good for me, too. I’m young.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.