Unionization and Income Growth of Racial Minority Immigrants in Canada: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This study examines the effect of unionization on the labor market integration of newly arrived immigrants in Canada. We find that non-white recent immigrants gain access to unionized jobs at a slower rate than do white recent immigrants. The effect of unionization on earnings is somewhat lower for non-white recent immigrants than for white recent immigrants. These findings are based on growth curve modeling of longitudinal data from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID). Therefore, unionization does not contribute to reducing the earnings gap of non-white recent immigrants relative to white immigrants and the native-born.