How Immigration is Impacting Canadian Jobs?

Since long, Canada is being a stringent supporter of providing roofs over the heads of immigrants and refugees. In the wake of the refugee crisis of 2016, when the world was showing their conservative sides, it was Canada which opened its border to almost 30,000 Syrian refugees. Only last year, Canada became a new home to 296,000 refugees and immigrants.

However, the Canadian immigration policies are being heavily criticized for sometimes. The concerns range from straining the social support system to lowering the average wages. Terrorism is another major concern of Canadian citizens. While some of the concerns have merit others are considered as biases against refugees and immigrants.

To solve this somewhat critical point of debate, here are some morsels of information about how the immigrants impact the Canadian job market and thus, impact Canadians.

Canada Has a Long History of Immigration

Did you read history in your school?

Well, if you had then you are well aware that Canada is built by the immigrants.

If you think we are talking about the 21.9% foreign-born population of Canada, then you are wrong. We are talking about the first days of this country. Canada transpired as a country after British and French started to build colonies in the 1600s. The indigenous people, who are often mistaken as immigrants, are the only true blue Canadians. Those indigenous people hold only 4.3% of the entire population. The remaining 95.7% of people are all immigrants or rather, the descendants of immigrants.

So, the multiculturalism and immigration have created the separate identity of today’s Canada. In fact, Canada is revered in the world stage for its diverse culture and open mentality for the immigrants. Many Canadians also respect this Canadian immigration culture that is well known around the world. 

Immigrants Are Maintaining the Population

The low birthrate of Canada would have made the population shrink if the immigrants were not allowed to move into the country. Not only Canada, but the shrinking population is also increasingly becoming a headache of the developed nations.

To maintain a steady population, the birth rate should be around 2.1 children per woman. This birth rate overweighs infant mortality, the number of men and other different factors.

In 1970s, the birth rate of the country dropped below the regular threshold for the first time. Since then, the number is dropping steadily. Currently, the Canadian birth rate is 1.6 children per woman.

This is the direct effect of education. As the women are enjoying better access to education and birth control, they have started to recognize their roles that are way beyond becoming a mother and a wife. Many European and Asian countries are also facing a similar situation. Japan is one of the widely cited examples in this matter. The governments of such countries are afraid about the future when the number of old people will outgrow the number of young ones.

The countries, that have a strong immigration system, can, however, avoid the catastrophic situation. Such countries, make sure that the population remains steady or continues to grow despite the lower birth rates. By creating easier Canadian immigration policies, the government is trying to do just the same thing.

Immigration is Good for the Canadian Economy

The economists and immigration lawyer around the world debate about the impact of immigrants on the total economy of the country. Not going into dreary detail, we can simply say that if the population drops, the economy of the country follows suit.

Fewer workers mean less number of goods and services that can be produced. If the production falters, so does the economic output. Currently, Canada is growing 1.5% annually. Now consider there are no immigrants in the country. That means, there is less manpower in the field of production. Which implies, less number of people have to produce the same number of goods and services to maintain the economic growth of Canada. Without the help of the immigrants, who are propping up the Canadian population, reaching this feat would have been next to impossible.

Let’s say the Canadians were able to produce all the goods and services without the help of the immigrants. Now, who will buy those products and services? The immigrant Canadians add to the country’s purchasing power also. With money in their pockets, the immigrant Canadians are able to purchase goods and services which in turn boosts the health of the Canadian economy. If there were no immigrants, then the country had to find new ways to sell the products to the external markets to maintain the growth rate.

So, the Canadian immigration policies are not only helping the country to maintain its cultural diversity, but it is also helping the country to maintain its economic growth as well.

Do Immigrants Drive Down Wages?

No.

The critics point out that as the immigrants are prepared to work in lower wages than the native-born Canadians they are pulling the wages rates down. This is one of the most outrageously biased points that the critics often use to win arguments.

The truth is, Canada has far too many jobs. When the number of vacancies is lower than the number of applicants, the employer tends to offer more wages to draw in talents. In the case of Canada, most of the industries are facing labor shortages. So, immigrants have no hand in making the wages lower.

In fact, some Canadian companies offer Canada born employees more wage as employers believe that they will require less training than the immigrants. The basic reason for the immigrants to get lower payment is that they are often compelled to work below their qualification.

Immigrants Make Sure That There is a Steady Supply of Skilled Workers

No country will allow immigrants if they do not play important roles which are beneficial for the country. Likewise, the Canadian immigrants fill important job gaps of the market. As a result of the lower birth rates, the workers in some certain area will start to shrink. For example, the skilled trade sector of Canada is seeing a severe shortage of workers. There are simply not enough persons in the country who can take place to the people who are retiring from the profession. Healthcare and IT sectors of Canada are also facing similar kind of problems.

There is no denying that open Canadian immigration system is creating some major problems. The immigrants, however, bring more to the country than the critics think. Thus, the best way is to solve the problem without getting biased. In fact, being the only country people find safe to move in, Canada should be proud and so should be the Canadians. If you are new to Canada, here are 4 things you can take benefits of immigrating to this lovely country!