Immigrants still face experience gap.

OTTAWA -- The Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants (2003) to Canada indicates that two years after they arrived in Canada, prime working-age immigrants had made progress integrating into the labour force. However, after two years, most newcomers had not found employment in the occupations in which they had intended to work.

Of those who found employment, about 4 in 10 found a job in their intended occupation. The situation was somewhat better among principal applicants in the skilled worker category who were aged 25 to 44. These individuals are selected based on a number of criteria including their education, language ability and employment skills.

Immigrants in this category are deemed to be more likely to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the Canadian economy. Among this group, the vast majority, 90% or about 45,000, found employment during their first two years in Canada. Of those who did, just under half (48%) found a job in their intended occupation.

The most serious problem or difficulty for prime working-age immigrants in finding employment was their lack of experience in the Canadian workforce. This was still the case after two years.

Many also still reported, as the most serious problem, difficulty in getting acceptance or recognition for their foreign professional credentials or educational qualifications, such as diplomas or degrees obtained in their homeland.

However, despite these challenges, most of the newcomers reported that they were satisfied with their job.

Overall, the employment rate of prime working-age immigrants moved towards the national average the longer they resided in Canada, according to the LSIC data.