International students are an integral part of Canada’s labour force, now and into the future. But after graduation they have poorer economic outcomes than Canadian-born students. What’s needed to improve international students’ study-to-work transitions?
International student enrolment is growing
The number of international students studying in Canada has more than doubled over the last decade, with the fastest growth happening at the college level.
Chart 1
International students are an ideal source of skilled talent given their Canadian education and official language skills.
But we aren’t making the most of international students’ potential. After graduation, they tend to earn less than Canadian citizens and many are only working part-time.
Chart 2
Recent federal policy changes, including a two-year cap on new study permits, reflect a growing recognition that international students need more institutional support to succeed in Canada during and after study.
Improving international student outcomes
Signal49 Research, on behalf of the Future Skills Centre, is studying how colleges can improve support for international college students to maximize their employment outcomes.
- What challenges do international college students face finding meaningful work?
- How do international students and graduates use formal and informal employment supports to look for work?
- What innovative approaches are colleges piloting to improve employment outcomes for international college students and graduates?
Insights from our research will:
- Reduce skill waste of immigrant talent in the labour market.
- Help colleges deliver on the promise of international education.
- Help international students meet their career goals.
Our investigation focuses on Ontario and British Columbia, where over 80 per cent of international college students are studying.
Chart 3
Unlocking the potential
To help unlock international students’ full labour market potential, we are:
- Surveying international college students and recent graduates to learn about the supports they use to look for work and how these can be improved.
- Interviewing international college students and recent graduates to dig deeper into how they use employment supports.
- Interviewing college staff working in career services and international student support to understand how colleges can help international students find meaningful work.
Our research will provide practical advice to public college leaders and program administrators to improve international students’ employment outcomes.
Get involved
Want to learn more about this research? Do you study or work at a college in British Columbia or Ontario and want to participate in an interview?
Please contact Erin Rose, Senior Research Associate, Education & Skills ([email protected]).
FSC partners
The responsibility for the findings and conclusions of this research rests entirely with Signal49 Research.