Immigrant employment integration in Canada: A narrative review

International migration has increased globally over the past two decades with migrants currently representing 3.5% of the world’s population. As a top destination country, Canada’s immigration policy selects some of the most highly skilled and educated migrants. Yet, upon arrival, many face challenges finding employment that matches their skills and qualifications. Extensive research has emerged that seeks to identify barriers to immigrant employment and the determinants of their success in the labour market. This article presents the results of a narrative review of literature on the employment outcomes of recent immigrants to Canada. A total of 33 articles published between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. Results indicate both individual and contextual causes for a lag in commensurate employment. Characteristics such as immigration class, education and experience, place of settlement, gender, and visible minority status were identified as significant variables. Changing local labour markets, underemployment and underutilization of immigrant skills and the impact of social networks on attaining employment also emerged as important factors. Canada’s immigration policy is widely perceived as an exemplar model for attracting skilled migrants. However, when compared to countries like Australia and the United States, newcomers to Canada face challenges integrating into employment efficiently and effectively. Findings from this review offer insight for policymakers to improve employment outcomes through innovations adaptable to local labour markets that promote immigrants’ rapid entry into commensurate employment.