Examining the factors that affect the employment status of racialised immigrants: a study of Bangladeshi immigrants in Toronto, Canada

Abstract

ABSTRACTAnalysing data from the 2006 Canadian census, the paper identifies various social characteristics that influence Bangladeshi immigrants’ employment status in Toronto, particularly their propensity to be self-employed and outside the paid labour force rather than paid employees. The analysis contributes to understanding why racialised immigrants take different paths to participating in the Canadian labour market. The results of regression analysis suggest that women are more likely to be out of the paid labour force and less likely to be self-employed or paid employees than their male counterparts. Young Bangladeshis with a university degree are least likely to withdraw from the paid labour force. Older Bangladeshis and those with longer length of residence in Canada are more likely to be self-employed. The likelihood of being out of the paid labour force increases as Bangladeshi immigrants age, and with less education and decreases for those with longer residence in Canada.