SHAUN BEST
Canada's jobless rate is subsiding from elevated levels during the recession for most demographic groups except one -- recent immigrants.
As of last month, the unemployment rate for Canadian-born people was 6.2 per cent, down from the same month a year earlier when it was 6.7 per cent. The jobless rate for all immigrants declined to 8.8 per cent from 9.9 per cent in April of last year, according to numbers crunched by the Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative.
The numbers for recent newcomers suggest the recovery has yet to boost their job prospects. The unemployment rate for recent immigrants (landed within the last five years) is 13.9 per cent compared with 14.3 per cent last year. And it's been consistently above the 12-per-cent mark since early 2009.
Their analysis also shows a much lower participation rate for recent immigrants. The participation rate for newer arrivals is 71.6 per cent, compared with 81.8 per cent for all immigrants and 87.7 per cent for Canadian-born workers.
TIEDI compiles the numbers using three-month averages from Statistics Canada's labour force survey. Statscan said Friday the country's official jobless rate is 7.6 per cent, matching a two-year low.
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Tavia Grant