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A new study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy compared the economic outcomes of degree-qualified skilled migrants in Australia and Canada. The research found that Australia's skilled migration program produced the best labor market participation rates for migrants.
The study, entitled 'The Impact of Economic Selection Policy on Labour Market Outcomes for Degree-Qualified Migrants in Canada and Australia', had two aims.
The first aim was to examine and compare the labor market integration rate in the first five years of arrival for migrants from all categories (skilled, family, and humanitarian) who had professional degrees.
The study analyzed 2001 Census data and found that both nations were nearly identical in labor market participation rates of recent migrants. By 2001, 65 percent of degree-qualified migrants who arrived between 1996 and 2001 had found employment in Canada. In Australia, 66 percent of degree-qualified migrants found work during the same period.
Of these migrants, 30 percent had found professional work in Canada, compared to 31 percent in Australia.
The second aim of the study was to assess the same data for migrants who came to both countries under their respective skilled migration programs. Both countries use a points-based system for independent skilled migration; however, major policy differences in this area have emerged between both nations in recent decades.
According to the author of the study, Canada has maintained a "human capital model of selection", i.e. admitting applicants with limited English and French language skills and non-recognized qualifications and credentials in occupations with low demand. In contrast, Australia has moved towards a system with a heavy emphasis on English language skills and mandatory credential assessment in the last decade.
As a result, the study concluded that degree-qualified skilled migrants in Australia secure positions far more quickly than their counterparts in Canada during the past decade.
"Far greater proportions of newcomers in Australia secure positions fast, achieve professional or managerial status, earn high salaries and use their professional credentials in work," the study said.
However, Canada is working towards alleviating many of these problems. The country has been actively funding numerous programs aimed at assisting migrants and their families, including language training programs and employment services.
The study also hailed proposed changes to Canada's immigration policy that would allow authorities to speed up the immigration process for migrants they deem are valuable to Canada's economy. Canada has also made it easier for international students to remain in Canada permanently by allowing them easier access to the Canadian labor market.
"These are timely initiatives, given that many skilled migrants are more likely now to face chronic low income and poverty than did previous cohorts," said the author.
"In the knowledge economy, the stakes are high, both for economic migrants and for the nation," he added.
More information regarding Canada's skilled migration program can be found here, along with a free assessment form. For Australia's skilled migration scheme, see our General Skilled Migration section and fill out our free Australian skilled worker assessment.
