Naomi Lightman, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto

1. Applying an Economic Exclusion Index: Trends and Dynamics for Immigrants and Racialized Groups in Canada Naomi Lightman, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto Luann Good Gingrich, Associate Professor, York University Presented at the CRDCN National Conference: Evidence Based Policy Formation and Evaluation Fredericton, October 24, 2012

2. Introduction • SSHRC/Metropolis National Research Competition project (2011): The dynamics of social exclusion and inclusion for immigrants and racialized groups in Canada • Luann Good Gingrich (P.I.), Naomi Lightman, Andrew Mitchell, Ernie Lightman • Use of Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) dataset from Statistics Canada

3. Theoretical Framework • Social Exclusion: the official procedures and everyday practices that function to (re)produce and justify economic, spatial, socio-political, and subjective divides (Good Gingrich, 2010; Lightman & Good Gingrich, in press) • Immigrant and visible minority status as dynamic social forces that direct who gets ahead and who falls (and stays) behind in the Canadian labour market • Research question: Who is made socially excluded in economic terms in Canada’s labour market?

4. Why This Index? • Nine dimensions equally weighted to explore different facets of economic exclusion, based on research (e.g. Vosko, 2003, 2006; European Commission, 2012) • A mix of individual and family-level measurements • A mix of scaled and dichotomous measurements • No one indicator describes the dynamics of economic exclusion • However, combined we can see trends within and between groups across time • Cronbach's α = .75

5. The Economic Exclusion Index

6. The Sample: Shifting Demographics Over Time • Individuals 18-64, excluding full-time students • Cross-sectional analysis • N = approx. 24,000 (1994-95), 40-50,000 (1996-2009) • 17-22% are immigrants (variable) • 8-19% are visible minorities (steady increase over time) • 42% of immigrants are visible minorities in 1994 • 65% of immigrants are visible minorities in 2009 (steady increase over time) • Working within confines of existing dataset

7. Contextual Factors: 1994-2009 • Exploring economic outcomes for immigrants and visible minorities over time • Impact of macro economic and social welfare trends – Who gets hit hardest in tough times? Who benefits most in good times? • Impact of macro immigration policy – shifting composition of immigrants, increasing emphasis on economic class • Who ends up disproportionately in the top 20% of the index (i.e. high economic exclusion)? • Who ends up disproportionately in the bottom 20% of the index (i.e. low economic exclusion)?

8. Dimension #2: LOW EARNINGS

9. Dimension #4: TRANSFER INCOME

10. Dimension #5: HOME OWNERSHIP

11. Dimension #6: JOB SECURITY

12. Dimension #9: NON-WAGE BENEFITS

13. Economic Exclusion Index Outcomes: The Most Excluded Quintile

14. Economic Exclusion Index Outcomes: The Most Excluded Quintile

15. Economic Exclusion Index Outcomes: The Least Excluded Quintile

16. Economic Exclusion Index Outcomes: The Least Excluded Quintile

17. Conclusions • No sustained equity-producing growth over macro economic boom years • Supports previous research suggesting immigrants suffer deeper negative impacts of a recession first (Picot & Sweetman, 2005) • Immigrants less likely to be among the most excluded 20% but also less likely to be among the least excluded 20% • Visible minorities continuously face uneven economic exclusion on the vast majority of dimensions • Perhaps gaps between groups getting wider? • Future research: longitudinal analysis, other datasets • Policy implications: Need larger sample sizes for more specific analysis of social groups over time; labour opportunities and social welfare supports appear to be declining overall for immigrants and visible minorities

18. References: Bourdieu, P. (1989). Social space and symbolic power. Sociological Theory, 7(1), 14-25. European Commission. (2012). Employment and social developments in Europe 2011 (pp. 286). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Good Gingrich, L. (2010). The dynamics of social exclusion and inclusion for immigrants and racialized groups in Canada - A research proposal. Immigration and the Metropolis Research Proposal. York University. Toronto. Lightman, N., & Good Gingrich, L. (in press). The intersecting dynamics of social exclusion: Age, gender, race and immigrant status in Canada's labour market. Canadian Ethnic Studies. Picot, G., & Sweetman, A. (2005). The deteriorating economic welfare of immigrants and possible causes: Update 2005 (pp. 1-26). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Vosko, L. F. (2006). Precarious employment: Towards an improved understanding of labour market insecurity. In L. F. Vosko (Ed.), Precarious employment: Understanding labour market insecurity in Canada (pp. 1-39). Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. Vosko, L. F., Zukewich, N., & Cranford, C. J. (2003). Precarious jobs: A new typology of employment. Perspectives on Labour and Income, 4(10), 16-26.

19. Thank you! Contact Information Naomi Lightman: naomi.lightman@mail.utoronto.ca Luann Good Gingrich: luanngg@yorku.ca

20. APPENDIXES

21. Dimension #1: LOW WAGES

22. Dimension #3: LOW INCOME

23. Dimension #7: EMPLOYMENT ADEQUACY

24. Dimension #8: MULTIPLE JOB HOLDINGS