Duration of Access of Canadian Immigrants to the First Job in Intended Occupation

Using detailed information on employment trajectory provided by the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC), this study examines labour market outcomes of recent immigrants in terms of duration of access to the first job in their intended occupation, as determined by a question in the first wave interview on labour market intentions. The matching between actual and intended occupations is obtained from the first two digits of National Occupational Classification codes, which consider successively occupation type and skill level. Using a Cox proportional hazards model, the study investigates the roles of factors related to human and social capital in speeding up the matching process of actual and intended occupations. It is found that the initial year in Canada is critical for an immigrant to land a job in intended field; after that period, the hazards of finding employment in intended occupation flatten down. In general, those with intention to work in non-professional jobs, such as sales and services, trades, transport and equipment operators, primary industry, and processing and manufacturing occupations, enter the first job in intended occupation more quickly. The results also show that education, English language ability, Canadian work experience and friend networks facilitate access to intended occupation..