最初由 TXK 发布
This is an article in today's newspaper. You should read it (I think you should not have any problems in reading since your English is fluent). Good luck!
Title: Immigrants' job prospects improving, survey says
By PAUL CHOI
Friday, October 14, 2005 Page 4 of The Globe and Mail
When Chunyan Zhang arrived in Toronto from mainland China two years ago, she envisioned a full-time job writing for an English newspaper.
While the 31-year-old still hasn't landed her dream job, she is taking English courses to improve her language skills and prepare for work.
"I hope I have a job because I want to have experience to do something -- everything," Ms. Zhang said.
According to a Statistics Canada study released yesterday, Ms. Zhang's chances of entering Canada's work force are getting better.
But the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada also found many immigrants continue to face language barriers and have problems finding a job in their chosen field.
"What we found was that immigrants aged 25 to 44 are making headway in the labour market, and [80 per cent] of this group of people had worked at least one job during their first two years in Canada," said Tina Chui, a Statscan analyst. "But we also found there are some challenges that immigrants still face."
For the first survey, researchers interviewed about 12,000 newly arrived immigrants between April, 2001, and May, 2002. They found that only 56 per cent of those aged 25 to 44 -- prime working age -- had worked in at least one job.
For the second survey, analysts interviewed 9,300 of the same immigrants two years after their arrival and found 80 per cent had been employed, Ms. Chui said. Fifty-eight per cent of those who found work were employed for 18 months or more and three-quarters worked for more than one year.
But problems such as underemployment of recent immigrants, which, according to the Conference Board of Canada is costing the economy at least $2-billion a year, continue to exist for many newcomers, Ms. Chui said.
According to the study, only 33 per cent of immigrants who found a job in their first year had been able to get one in their chosen field.
Another 9 per cent managed to do so in their second year, the report said.
More worrisome, Ms. Chui said, is that one in five surveyed immigrants could not find work during the two-year period.
Many said lack of Canadian experience was one of the reasons they couldn't get a job, Ms. Chui said. Language barriers and a lack of acceptance of foreign qualifications were other reasons given.
