A new report from Statistics Canada provides a detailed look at the income levels of first-, second-, and third-generation Canadian immigrants. Chinese and Japanese immigrants have the highest income levels, exceeding those of “white” Canadians. Canadians of Arabic descent are next, followed by South Asians and West Asians. Canadians of Caribbean, African, Filipino, or Latin American background fare worse.
The Globe and Mail reports that:
The old vertical mosaic – with whites from Britain and Europe at the top and visible minorities underneath – is no longer valid. Instead, second- and third-generation Chinese and Japanese surpass all other groups of newcomers, including whites, while for blacks and other groups, there is little or no economic mobility across generations.
The table below, from the Globe and Mail story, summarizes the key data.
GENERATION GAP
Average annual earnings of university-degree holders, age 25-44, who are working full-time:
| First generation | Second generation | Third generation | |
| Chinese | $55,270 | $79,022 | |
| Japanese | $58,294 | $75,442 | |
| White | $68,036 | $67,727 | |
| Canadian born, all ethnic backgrounds | $65,000 | ||
| Arab | $54,734 | $62,710 | |
| South Asian | $54,311 | $61,955 | |
| West Asian | $53,431 | $53,186 | |
| Southeast Asian | $57,508 | $51,776 | |
| Caribbean or African black | $51,317 | $50,946 | |
| Filipino | $40,871 | $50,746 | |
| Latin American | $48,871 | $45,496 |
SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA
October 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
It’s a similar picture in the UK, from memory. Chinese and then Indian immigrants demonstrate higher earnings per capita than white British, and Bangladeshi and Irish immigrants earn least. Although I’m not sure of the methodology, nor how old that data is.