Social media and internet usage rates on employment outcomes among newcomers in Canada

This RCIS working paper by Stein Monteiro investigates the impact of social media and internet usage on the employment outcomes of newcomers in Canada, utilizing data from the 2018 Canadian Internet Use Survey. The study finds that social media users are approximately 2.3 times more likely to be employed than those relying on traditional media, while those using the internet for job searches or training are twice as likely to have found employment. However, the author notes that these observed advantages largely disappear when controlling for the "digital divide"—specifically demographic and socio-economic factors such as age, income, and education level. While immigrants generally use the internet to search for jobs at higher rates than native-born Canadians, they often face significant barriers, including the high cost of technology and varying degrees of digital literacy. Ultimately, the paper argues that social media serves as a critical moderator that allows migrants to both manage existing social networks and forge new ones, though it emphasizes that these digital tools do not inherently grant immigrants a relative advantage over native-born Canadians when socio-economic variables are equalized.