Newly arrived permanent resident (PR) couples with employment income in Canada exhibit a higher likelihood of receiving the Canada child benefit (CCB) in the year following their arrival. A recent study, “To what extent do newcomers receive the Canada child benefit? Insights from newly landed immigrants with employment income in Canada,” reveals that approximately 90% of PR couples with employment income received the CCB, compared to about 70% or fewer among those without employment income.
This research, which examined immigrant couples who landed between 2016 and 2019, suggests that lower CCB take-up rates among those without employment income may be attributed to a lower tendency to file T1 income tax forms, a prerequisite for CCB access. Additionally, couples with employment income are more likely to reside in Canada shortly after landing, thus meeting the residency requirement for the CCB.
The CCB provides crucial financial support to newly landed families with young children who may face financial challenges. Understanding these disparities in benefit take-up rates can help shape effective outreach strategies to ensure broader access to this vital support.
The Environmental and Clean Technology (ECT) sector, pivotal to Canada’s economic and environmental strategies, still grapples with significant gender disparities. Despite a gradual increase in the representation of women since 2014, they constituted only 28.6% of the ECT workforce in 2021. The study “Women in the environmental and clean technology sector” highlights that women in this sector, though often more educated than their male peers, earned 16.3% less in 2021.
The paper also uncovers deeper inequities among women from Indigenous, racialized, and immigrant backgrounds. Women held 24.6% of ECT jobs among Indigenous peoples, 31.5% among racialized people, and 32.0% among immigrants. These groups also experienced notable gender pay gaps, with Indigenous women earning 14.1% less, racialized women 13.8% less, and immigrant women 16.8% less than their male counterparts. Interestingly, immigrant women’s hourly wages were comparable to those of non-immigrant women.
These findings suggest that the ECT sector is not fully leveraging the potential of its female workforce, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. Addressing these gender disparities through targeted strategies could enhance both innovation and economic performance within the sector.
The article “Most prevalent jobs of young college and CEGEP certificate and diploma graduates by detailed field of study” sheds light on the employment outcomes for graduates from various health programs. A significant proportion of graduates from college and CEGEP health programs, such as diagnostic medical sonography, secured employment in roles closely related to their field. In 2021, 92.1% of women and 86.8% of men aged 25 to 34 with qualifications in this area were employed as medical sonographers.
For graduates from other disciplines, the job distribution was more varied but often related to their field of study. For instance, female graduates in civil engineering technology typically found roles as civil engineering technologists and technicians (36.1%), construction managers (7.8%), and civil engineers (6.1%). Similarly, male graduates from culinary arts programs predominantly worked as chefs (28.0%), cooks (14.8%), and food service managers (3.5%).
These insights are valuable for students, parents, guidance counselors, and policy analysts, as they provide a clearer picture of the career paths associated with specific fields of study. The findings also emphasize the importance of equipping graduates with a diverse skill set to navigate their careers effectively.