You already know how important employment is in the settlement process for newcomers to Canada. But, just where are they getting their employment information, how good is it, and what are their outcomes related to information sources? What’s your role? What are you doing? Can you do it better? How can we learn from each other to work towards better employment outcomes? How can technology help (hint: your clients are better at using it than you are)? Join Diane and Marco for an interactive session focused on things we already know and are learning about but, more importantly, what people in the room know and are doing. We’re not going to lecture (OK, maybe a bit of presentation). We’re going to facilitate a dialogue with you. You’re going to leave this session having shared some cool, innovative or impactful thing you’re doing and with new ideas and information to take back to your organization.

1. Social networks/social media and
services for newcomers with
a focus on employment
Diane Dyson, WoodGreen
Marco Campana, Maytree

2. Post-settlement
Bureaucratic interactions

3. The importance of information
Because the settlement process is
complicated, information is key.
Newcomers suffer from problems of
incomplete information
Newcomers also need to identify trustworthy
sources to help sort and rank information

4. The importance of social networks
Social networks & social media facilitate
information flow. Part of the trend away
from “expert” help.
Social networks have various strengths &
weaknesses.

5. The importance of social media
Important considerations from how
newcomers access information upon how
settlement agencies deliver programs

6. The importance of settlement agencies
Because social networks can be unreliable
and provide poor quality information,
settlement agencies are well-suited to fill
these gaps.

7. Invisible hands in the marketplace
(forthcoming)
Survey of 450 Toronto newcomers
Surveyed on informal economy participation
Found English language skills strongly tied
with formal labour market participation
Cash jobs accessed through referral.
¼ found current job through family/friends.

8. Key Questions
1. Where do immigrants get employment information?
3. What demographic characteristics of immigrants determine their level
of awareness of employment information or settlement information in
general?
5. What are the media habits of immigrants?
7. What media channels have been used to market employment
information to immigrants and how effective have they been?
9. How could employment information be better channeled to
immigrants?

9. Major Trends
1. Family and friends have continued to be a major source of employment
and settlement information for immigrants
2. Internet is evolving as a key source
3. In-language media is a priority channel
4. Peer and Informal networks are important
5. Little employment information is being channeled thru traditional media,
even less thru ethnic media
6. Traditional advertising is still very effective
7. Lack of translated materials
8. Immigrants trust ethno-cultural media
9. Employed immigrants are looking for employment information
10. Women immigrants are under informed, fare worse than men
11. Cultural demographics matter regarding media access
12. Immigrant employment outcomes depend on source of employment

10. 1. Family and friends have continued to be a
major source of employment and settlement
information for immigrants
Statistics Canada, LSIC, 2003
Employment Information Source for Immigrants
45
39%
40
35
29%
30
25
%
20
15 12%
10% 10%
10
5
0
Government agency Immigrant or Refugee School, community Relative or household Friends
serving agency college or university member

11. Family and friends have continued to be a
major source of employment and settlement
information for immigrants
How Immigrants heard about Skills for Change
(14 000 + clients served)
60
51%
50
40
30
%
20 17%
12%
8%
10 6%
4%
2%
0
Friend Airpot Flyer Social Worker YMCA Internet Counselor
Source: Skills for Change Annual Report, 2009/2010

12. Family and friends have continued to be a major
source of employment and settlement information for immigrants
Learn Speak Live Evaluation – Information/Marketing Campaign
Wide variety of advertising channels, including TV/Radio ads, print
advertising, online advertising, transit advertising.
Most popular time to visit site evening and early morning (1-3 am) (so likely
that visitors mainly working)
Callers to 1-800 lines:
 41% of referrals came from combined transit channels (buses, subway platforms,
billboards, transit shelters)
 38% of referrals came from Metro publication.
 47% Canadian Citizens, 41% PR, 3% Refugee/Refugee Claimants, 9% Temporary
Residents.
 Peak average of 60 calls a day, 38 calls a day overall average, mainly Tuesdays to
Thursdays.
 40% calling on behalf of friend or spouse.

13. 2. Internet is evolving as a key source of
information for immigrants
Settlement.org Evaluation - Major Sources of Settlement
Information for Settlement.org Users
Other Sources 4%
English Teacher 1%
Social networking sites and online groups 3%
Newspapers 5%
Settlement/Employment Counsellor 7%
Family and Friends 12%
Websites 69%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Source: Arnold Love, 2010

14. Internet is evolving as a key source of
information for immigrants
Settlement.org Evaluation - Major Reasons for Using Websites for
Settlement Information
5%
Other main reasons
2%
Live too far from an agency that helps newcomers
4%
No time to visit an agency that helps newcomers
12%
Currently outside Canada
Faster and easier to use 36%
Reliable source of information for newcomers 42%
Source: Arnold Love, 2010

15. Internet is evolving as a key source of
information for immigrants
 88% of Chinese and South Asian Immigrants use the internet
(above national averages) and average 1.8 hours
online daily (also above)
 Among people born in Canada, 75% used the Internet,
compared with 66% of those born elsewhere. However, the rate
was 78% among immigrants who arrived in Canada during the
last 10 years. Most of these recent immigrants live in urban
areas.
Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2007 (Statistics Canada)

16. “Among people born in Canada, 75%
used the Internet, compared with 66%
of those born elsewhere.
However, the rate was 78% among
immigrants who arrived in Canada
during the last 10 years. Most of these
recent immigrants live in urban areas.”
Statistics Canada, 2007

17. 65,200 members
81,946 members
23,259 Members
1871 members

18. eLearning
Online
Video
Learning
Portals

20. Great use of video.

21. 3. In-language media is a priority channel for
marketing information to immigrants
 Chinese and South Asians are heavy consumers of in-language media
 41 TV networks/digital stations that have some multilingual coverage,
47 radio stations that represent over 70 different ethnic groups, 195
newspapers/magazines for 44 different cultural groups, including some
dailys/weeklys
The Multicultural Imperative - Environics
Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2007 (Statistics Canada)

22. In-language media is a priority channel for
marketing information to immigrants
The Multicultural Imperative - Environics

23. In-language media is a priority channel
for marketing information to immigrants.
The Effect of Ethnic Media on Marketing Information to
Immigrants
 Jangles Productions was contracted by CIC Ontario Region in
August of 2009 to conduct a multimedia, multilingual campaign
to promote three settlement services: Settlement.Org, 211,
Newcomer Information Centres
 There were more than 6.4 million impressions from the
combined circulation figures of all 22 ethnic publications over
the six month period.
 This ambitious approach worked: all 3 services saw significantly
increased traffic.

24. 4. Peer and informal networks are important
for marketing employment information to
immigrants
Role of Internet based informal social networks
Internet based informal social networks were very useful for providing
immigrants with the following supports:
 Advocacy
 Counseling and support
 Health and well-being
 Information and referral
 Orientation NewBridger Study-(Julie Xiaoping Lin et al,
 Recreation 2010)

25. Peer and informal networks are important for
marketing employment information to
immigrants
 TRIEC’s PINS is a good example of immigrant peer networks.
 72 active networks were found during TRIEC’s environmental scan
 50+ groups on the on-line directory
 30 or so groups have an estimated electronic reach of over 30,000
members
 77% of the groups are ethno specific
 76% are sector specific
 Sectors include: Engineering, Accounting, Social work, Architecture, IT,
Law, Healthcare, Business Management, Food Service, Natural Sciences
and Academics

26. 5. Not enough employment information is
being channeled through traditional media,
even less is being channeled thru ethnic
media
Settlement Information by Type of Media
40.0% N= 11, 680
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0% Mainstream
15.0% Ethnic
10.0% Neighbourhood
5.0%
0.0%
h
r
ics
ing
he
on
n
alt
ip
ity
n
t
es
en
tio
tio
lit
sh
Ot
us
ati
He
un
Re o n
vic
m
Po
ea
ra
en
uc
Ho
m
y
i
ig
at
cr
er
plo
tiz
m
Ed
m
rm
ls
Co
Ci
Em
Im
ga
fo
In
Le
er
um
ns
Co
(Karim H. Karim, Et al, 2007) - Carleton University)

27. Not enough employment information is being
channeled through traditional media, even
less is being channeled thru ethnic media
40.0% Settlement Information by Media Technology
35.0% N = 11, 680
30.0%
25.0%
20.0% TV
Radio
15.0%
Newspaper
10.0%
Websites
5.0%
0.0%
s
th
er
n
g
ity
n
n
t
ip
s
ic
en
n
io
io
in
tio
h
al
e
sh
io
un
lit
ic
Ot
t
us
at
He
m
ra
ea
at
Po
en
rv
m
uc
oy
Ho
ig
rm
cr
se
tiz
m
Ed
m
pl
Re
fo
Co
Ci
l
Im
Em
ga
In
Le
er
um
ns
Co
Of the little employment information made available, most of it was channeled
through websites.
(Karim H. Karim, Et al, 2007) - Carleton University

28. 6. Traditional marketing of settlement
information is still very effective
Learn Speak Live Evaluation – Information/Marketing Campaign
Wide variety of advertising channels, including TV/Radio ads, print
advertising, online advertising, transit advertising.
Most popular time to visit site evening and early morning (1-3 am) (so likely
that visitors mainly working)
Callers to 1-800 lines:
 41% of referrals came from combined transit channels (buses, subway platforms,
billboards, transit shelters)
 38% of referrals came from Metro publication.
 47% Canadian Citizens, 41% PR, 3% Refugee/Refugee Claimants, 9% Temporary
Residents.
 Peak average of 60 calls a day, 38 calls a day overall average, mainly Tuesdays to
Thursdays.

29. Traditional marketing of settlement
information is still very effective
The Effect of Ethnic Media on Marketing
Information to Immigrants
 Jangles Productions was contracted by CIC Ontario
Region in August of 2009 to conduct a multimedia,
multilingual campaign to promote three settlement
services: Settlement.Org, 211, Newcomer
Information Centres
 There were more than 6.4 million impressions from
the combined circulation figures of all 22 ethnic
publications over the six month period.
 This ambitious approach worked: all 3 services saw
significantly increased traffic.

30. 7. There is a lack of translated materials.
Carleton Research Conclusions
 Newcomers want practical information on employment, health care,
education and housing
 There is insufficient information on where to go to get settlement
related information
 There is a lack of translated material on settlement related subjects
 Ethno-cultural media are looking for clear and reliable settlement
information in multiple languages but cannot find it
 Print is preferred over video and TV as it can be read repeatedly
 Newcomers gravitate to ethno-cultural media as a way to connect to
the host society through a familiar medium
 Newcomers experience difficulty in using automated services or
accessing internet websites that exclusively or predominately are in
English or French
(Karim H. Karim, Et al, 2007) - Carleton University

31. 8. Immigrants trust and access ethno-cultural media
 Newcomers gravitate to ethno-cultural media as a way to connect to the host
society through a familiar medium (Karim H. Karim, Et al, 2007) - Carleton
University
 There were more than 6.4 million impressions from the combined circulation
figures of all 22 ethnic publications over the six month period. – Jangles
productions campaign
 Chinese and South Asians are heavy consumers of in-language media Canada)
- 41 TV networks/digital stations that have some multilingual coverage, 47 radio
stations that represent over 70 different ethnic groups, 195
newspapers/magazines for 44 different cultural groups, including some
dailys/weeklys -Diversity Initiative Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2007
(Statistics Canada)
 90 % of Chinese and South Asian families watch TV daily -The Multicultural
Imperative - Environics
 66 % Listen to radio daily -The Multicultural Imperative - Environics
 34% read newspapers daily- The Multicultural Imperative - Environics

32. 9. Employed immigrants are looking for
employment information
Learn Speak Live Evaluation:
 47% of callers were Canadian Citizens
 Most popular time to visit site evening and early morning (1-3 am)
(so likely that visitors mainly working)
Settlement.org
 47% of settlement.org visitors have been in Canada 5 + years
CERIS working paper # 79
 A lot of newcomers have taken up survival jobs and no information
is available to them about how they can find an appropriate job. -
(Lucia Lo et al, 2010: CERIS working paper # 79 (York Region
access)

33. 10. Women fare worse than men and
they are under informed
 Male immigrants appeared to be more informed than
female immigrants –CERIS #79
 Immigrant women fare worse than Canadian-born women,
Canadian-born men, and immigrant men. - TIEDI Analytical
Report 7

34. 11.Cultural demographics matter regarding
media access
 Fewer people from East and South Asia had heard of some service providers in
York Region– Ceris # 79

35. Cultural demographics matter regarding media
access
 88% of Chinese and South Asian Immigrants use the
internet (above national averages) and average 1.8
hours online daily
Publicis Diversite – Diversity Initiative
Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2007 (Statistics Canada)

36. 12. Employment outcomes depend on
immigrant sources of employment
information.
 Employed immigrants who found their current job through news stories,
union postings, and recruitment agencies had the highest average hourly
wages.
 Employed immigrants who found their current job through personal
initiative, family or friends, and Canada Employment Centres had the lowest
average hourly wages.
 Recent immigrants had higher wages when they found their job through the
internet or by personal initiative.
 Immigrants are more likely to have found their current jobs
through sources of information resulting in lower wages (family
and friends, personal initiative), than those providing access to
higher wages (union postings, news stories or recruitment
agencies).
 Immigrants who had found their current job through news stories, job fairs,
the internet, Canada Employment Centres, or help wanted ads earned more
than Canadian-born.
 Immigrant women fare worse than Canadian-born women, Canadian-born
men, and immigrant men. TIEDI Analytical Report 7

37. More promising approaches to marketing
settlement information to immigrants include
 HRSDC’s work in Canada portal is now on Facebook
 CIC uses Twitter to announce new programs
 CIC uses You Tube to market settlement information to immigrants
 MCI has a presence on Facebook and Twitter, marketing Opportunities
Ontario information to foreign graduate students studying in Ontario
 OCASI recently launched the inmylanguage.org website targeted at
immigrants in 12 languages
 Physical outreach still important - important to go where newcomers are
 OCASI working with ESL instructors to integrate web content into ESL
lesson plans
 COSTI will be running a CIC marketing campaign - mainly focused on some
of the lesser known services that CIC funds - there will be a mini destination
portal on Settlement.Org
 City of Toronto recently launched the Toronto Employment & Labour Market
Information (TELMI) web portal, a local labour market information website
and the City of Toronto Immigration & Settlement Portal, for marketing
settlement information to immigrants

38. More promising approaches to marketing
settlement information to immigrants include
The York Region immigration portal implemented a
marketing/outreach plan in June 2010, to run until December, at which
time they'll evaluate.
 Approaches:
 partnering with ethnic media with targeted, translated ads
 TV segments with local community/cable provider
 communication kits for local agencies/service providers
 link campaigns

39. More promising approaches to marketing
settlement information to immigrants include
The Durham Region immigration portal launched in March, 2010.
 Marketing of the portal is done through:
 Ads in 24 hours, Canadian immigrant, online, relocation guide,
Goldbook (telephone book)
 Hard copy swag - USB sticks, mouse pads, pens - provided to
service providers, faith communities, Boards of Trade, job fairs with
employers, etc.
 Having a portal business card has also been helpful, including
providing them with card holders for service providers (very
popular).

40. Conclusion
 We have some information, but we don’t think that we have
enough.
 More light should be shed on questions like:
 Where do immigrants get employment information?
 Which demographics are getting their information from which
sources (print, online, TV/radio)? Are they finding the right
employment information at their preferred source?
 Are we targeting (and should we be targeting) under-employed
immigrants with employment information?
 Joint initiatives could be undertaken to conduct research in these
areas, in order to be able to improve the provision of employment
information to un- and under-employed immigrants.

41. References
 Statistics Canada: LSIC, 2003, page 40 http://dsp-
psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/Statcan/89-614-XIE/89-614-XIE2005001.pdf
 Skills for Change Annual Report 2009/10
 The role of internet-based social support networks in immigrant settlement – a case
study of NewBridger, Julie Xiaoping Lin et al, 2010 http://ceris.metropolis.net/events/
seminars/2010/20100115WangLinWangSemPres.pdf
 Settlement Programming throuogh the media, Karim H. Karim, Mahmoud Eid and
Boulou Ebanda de B’beri, 2007 http://atwork.settlement.org/sys/atwork_library_detail.asp?
doc_id=1004503
 Recent Immigrants’ Awareness of, Access to, Use of and Satisfaction with Settlement
services in the York Region, Lucia Lo et al, 2010 CERIS working paper number 79
http://ceris.metropolis.net/Virtual%20Library/other/CWP79.pdf
 Settlement in the workplace, the settlement needs of employed newcomers, an
exploratory study, R J Sparks Consulting Inc. and WGW Services, sponsored by
COSTI Immigrant Services, 2001
http://atwork.settlement.org/downloads/Settlement_in_the_Workplace.pdf
 Diversity Initiative, March 2008
 Findings of the settlement.org evaluation survey, Arnold love, June 15, 2010
 Are immigrant wages affected by the source of job search information?
http://www.yorku.ca/tiedi/doc/AnalyticalReport7.pdf

42. Your turn
Small group work.
 So, what are you doing?
 where are you & your clients getting employment
information, how good is it, and what are their
outcomes related to information sources?
 What's your role? What are you doing? Can you do
it better?
 How can we learn from each other to work towards
better employment outcomes? How can technology
help (hint: your clients are better at using it than
you are)?