OTTAWA — International students who graduated from Canadian schools are more likely to be underemployed than their Canadian peers — and many are living with lower incomes as a result.
Statistics Canada's national graduates survey looked at the employment rate for more than 83,000 international students who graduated in 2020, remained in Canada and did not pursue further education.
The survey said slightly more than one-third of the international graduates with bachelor's degrees held jobs that required university degrees, compared with three in five of their Canadian peers.
Statistics Canada said this helps explain why the median annual income for international students with bachelor degrees is 20 per cent below the median level for all Canadian graduates.
The survey also found that international graduates are more than three times more likely to work in the sales and services sectors than their Canadian counterparts.
Despite all this, the survey said international and Canadian graduates report similar levels of job satisfaction.
International graduates with college diplomas or doctorates appear to do better in the job market than their international peers with bachelor's degrees. Statistics Canada says those graduates were just as likely as Canadians to hold jobs that matched their education levels.
The survey found no significant difference between the post-schooling employment rate for international students with college diplomas and the rate for their Canadian peers — but the gap is wider for those who attended universities.
That gap is widest among those with bachelor's degrees. Statistics Canada reported that 85 per cent of international graduates with bachelor's degrees found work, compared to 92 per cent of Canadians.
International students with postgraduate degrees saw an employment rate of roughly 91 per cent. Canadian grads with equivalent degrees reported a 94 per cent employment rate.
International graduates accounted for 24 per cent of all students completing post-secondary programs in 2020, according to Statistics Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
