A Comparison of Earnings of Chinese and Indian Immigrants in Canada: An Analysis of the Effect of Language Ability

Abstract

The effect of knowledge of the official languages on the earnings of immigrants in Canada from its two largest source countries: China and India, is examined in this thesis. A visible difference is observed in the earning levels of these two immigrant groups. The difference is especially striking amongst the men of these groups. The role of language is assessed by estimating both annual earnings and weeks worked and by controlling for other variables that would affect the earning levels of individuals. The observed earnings gap between Chinese and Indian immigrants falls slightly when self-assessed language ability is controlled.