Statistics Canada’s report indicated that employment among immigrants increased 2.1 per cent in 2007 and that employment among core working-age immigrants - aged 25 to 54 - rose by 52,000 over 2006.

The agency reports employment for immigrants aged 25 to 54 reached nearly 2.5 million, with full-time employment increasing three per cent.

Interestingly, more than half the of growth in employment among core working-age immigrants last year occurred in Quebec, where it was up 28,000 over 2006, followed by Alberta with an increase of 18,000.

Employment for immigrant women aged 25 to 54 increased by 47,000, accounting for the vast majority of the estimated 52,000 gain for core working-age immigrants.

As was the case for Canadian-born workers, most employment growth for immigrants was in service sector jobs. However, the growth in employment of immigrants and their Canadian-born counterparts occurred in different industries, with notable gains for immigrants of 19,000 in transportation, and 15,000 in accommodation and food services.

The largest gains in immigrant employment were among the university-educated, rising by a full seven per cent or 62,000, with all finding full-time work in Canada.

Employment growth was strong for immigrants born in Asia and the Middle East, who also posted virtually all the population growth among core working-age immigrants. The labour market also improved slightly for African-born immigrants.

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