To help understand the current economic situation of refugees in comparison with their hosts, it is useful to look at current employment, household income, and cost of living in each community (Table 3-8).
Of all adult refugees in the sample, only 2% are retired and 17% do not participate in the labour force. The resulting labour force participation rate for refugees is 81%, comparable to the rate for the province. The unemployment rate for adult refugees is 16%, nearly three times the rate for Alberta in 1998 (5.7%) (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Historical Review. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 1999). Twenty-eight per cent of those employed are working part-time at one or more jobs, about ten per cent higher that the provincial average (18.9%) (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Historical Review, 1999). Additionally, 30% of refugees work in temporary jobs, more than twice the national average of 12% (Statistics Canada (1998) Work Arrangements in the 1990s. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, Analytic Report no. 8, p. 44, 1998).
Managerial and professional occupations along with skilled trades, account for 37% of adult refugee employment, while 32% work in semi-skilled jobs and 31% in unskilled jobs. When these figures are compared with those reported by refugees in their home country, we see that 44% worked as managers or professionals and only 22% worked as unskilled labourers (results not shown in table). Furthermore, 58% of respondents report that they are over-qualified for their current job. Only one in four employed Canadians consider themselves over-qualified (Krahn, Harvey and Graham S. Lowe (1998) Work, Industry and Canadian Society. Scarborough, Ontario: ITP Nelson, p. 141).
Men are more likely to be employed than women (results not shown in table). The unemployment rate for refugee men is 14%, while for women it is 19%. The unemployment rate for both women and men living in Alberta is much lower (5.7%) (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Historical Review, 1999). The high unemployment rate for refugees may be in part related to professionally-qualified individuals who are still looking for employment in their area of expertise. Female refugees are also more likely to work part-time. Forty-six per cent of female refugees are working at one or more part-time jobs, compared to 13% of refugee men. The comparable provincial figures are 30% for women and 9% for men.
Table 3-8 shows that unemployment is highest for respondents from the Middle East (29%). It is lowest for Central/South Americans (5%) and East Asians (8%). A possible reason for this is that Central/South American and East Asian respondents have been in the province longer than respondents from the Middle East. This would give these refugees more time to settle into their communities and find employment. African refugees are more likely than other groups to report part-time employment (46%), while East Asian respondents were least likely to do so (18%). Additionally, refugees from East Asia are less likely than any other group to feel over-qualified for their jobs (17%). This may be a reflection of the types of employment and training that the East Asian respondents have, since about one-third indicate they worked as semi-skilled or unskilled labourers before they arrived. Former Yugoslavian refugees are more likely than other groups to hold managerial or professional jobs (44%), a rate significantly higher than any other group.
Table 3-9 compares employment information across cities where refugees currently live. Figures for Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie are not shown due to the small number of cases. Surprisingly, Edmonton and Calgary have the lowest level of employment (57% and 63% respectively), and the highest unemployment rates (26% and 15%). One reason for this difference may be that some refugees have left smaller centres in search of work in Edmonton and Calgary. There are only small city differences in part-time employment, with Medicine Hat and Calgary reporting the lowest incidence of part-time work. There are significant city differences in temporary work. Lethbridge has the lowest percentage of temporary employment (17%) while Medicine Hat and Red Deer report the highest (53% and 42%). There are no significant city differences in feelings of being over-qualified in current jobs.
Calgary has the highest proportion of employed refugees working in managerial/professional or skilled occupations (47%), followed by Edmonton (38%) and Red Deer (39%). Also, 42% of refugees working in Lethbridge work in unskilled positions, followed by 34% in Medicine Hat.
Household income is another indicator of success in resettlement; here there is considerable variation across groups (Table 3-10). Eight per cent of all adult refugees report household incomes of less than $10,000 per year, well below the low-income cutoff average. As well, 35% of refugees have household incomes between $10,000 and $19,999. There are, however, some refugees who are doing well financially; 8% of those sampled said their household income was over $60,000 per year. However, 36% of respondents to the public opinion survey report household incomes in this bracket (Table 3-13). The average income of refugees in our sample is $28,253. This is significantly lower than the average household income reported in provincial figures for 1991 (see Table 4-18, Chapter 4).
African respondents have the lowest average income of any group ($15,000), and 72% of these refugees indicate their household income is lower than $20,000 (Table 3-10). Refugees from the Middle East are not much better off, with average household incomes of $20,833 and 65% having household incomes of less than $20,000 per year. Refugees from former Yugoslavia have the highest average household income at $31,476. Nonetheless, one-third (36%) report incomes of less than $20,000 per year. While Polish refugees appear to have the highest average household income, this figure must be interpreted cautiously given there were only 9 adult respondents.
Home ownership is another indicator of successful resettlement. Of the 525 adult respondents, 26% said they owned their homes (Table 3-10). East Asian respondents were more likely to indicate home ownership (44%). This is not surprising because this group has been in the province longer than other refugee groups. African refugees are least likely to own homes (6%). The average monthly mortgage costs for owners in the sample is $711. There are no significant differences across refugee groups with regard to mortgage payments. The average monthly rent for the remaining refugees is $497 with the highest average rents being paid by refugees from former Yugoslavia ($534) and Central/South America ($532).
Not surprisingly, city differences in household income and monthly housing costs are statistically significant (Table 3-11). Refugees in Red Deer are most likely to report average household incomes of less than $10,000 (13%). Over half (56%) of respondents from Edmonton report average household incomes of less than $20,000. Fifteen per cent of refugees in Medicine Hat and 11% in Calgary have household incomes over $60,000. These figures are much lower than those reported by respondents to the public opinion survey (Table 3-13). In Calgary, 43% of all residents have incomes over $60,000, and in Fort McMurray, 71% of are in this category. The average household income of refugees was highest in Medicine Hat ($31,415) and Calgary ($30,419). The lowest household incomes are in Red Deer ($23,936) and Lethbridge ($24,032).
Refugees in Calgary are more likely to own their homes (41%). This might appear somewhat odd, given the tight housing market in Calgary. However, with high rental costs and relatively low mortgage costs, it may make sense to try to purchase a home. The average mortgage cost was highest in Calgary ($759) and lowest in Medicine Hat ($604). Average rents were highest in Fort McMurray ($655) and Calgary ($538). Again, these differences are most likely linked to the housing shortage in both cities.