Immigration continues to play a major role in Niagara’s population and workforce growth. In 2025 alone, immigration accounted for nearly 30% of population change across the region[1]. As employers across sectors continue to navigate labour shortages, demographic shifts, and changing workforce needs, newcomers and immigrants remain an important part of Niagara’s long-term economic future, even as policies around immigration shift.
Immigrant Population Overview
Population estimates from Statistics Canada show that immigration in Niagara has increased significantly in recent years, particularly following the pandemic.
These trends reflect broader changes happening across Canada but also highlight the importance of immigration to Niagara. As the local workforce ages and employers continue to face recruitment pressures, immigration and supporting newcomer talent will remain an important contributor to economic growth and community development.
However, attracting newcomers is only part of the equation. Community supports that assist with retention, workforce integration, and effectively aligning with individuals’ skillsets are equally important.
Table 1-1: Immigrant population trends, 2011-2025, Niagara CD1
Note: The estimates for immigrants are final up to 2023/2024 and preliminary for 2024/2025.
Table 1-3: Non-permanent resident population trends, 2011-2025, Niagara CD1
Note: The estimates for net non-permanent residents are final up to 2022/2023, updated for 2023/2024 and preliminary for 2024/2025.
2021 Census: Education and Jobs
Data from the 2021 Census of Population show that immigrants in Niagara were almost 10% more overqualified for their jobs compared to non-immigrants. In this context, “overqualification” refers to individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher who are employed in positions that typically require a high school diploma or less.
The gap becomes even more pronounced for immigrants who completed their education outside of Canada, with 36.3% of immigrants being overqualified for their current job. This trend is notably stronger locally compared to Ontario. Even with a bachelor’s completed inside Canada, immigrants in Niagara still had a higher overqualification rate compared to their provincial counterparts (+5.6%). This gap persists for immigrants who have a foreign education (+5.7%).
The findings point to a continued disconnect between the skills many newcomers bring and the opportunities available to fully utilize those skills within the labour market. While overqualification can affect many workers at different stages of their careers, research consistently shows that immigrants, particularly internationally trained professionals, face additional barriers when entering the workforce[2].
Table 1-1: Overqualification of Immigrants compared to non-Immigrants in Niagara, 2021 Census, Niagara CMA[3]
Note: overqualification rate Includes persons aged 15 years old and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher who, during the current year or the year prior the census, held a position usually requiring a high school diploma or equivalency certificate or less (skill level C and D).
Table 1-2: Overqualification of Immigrants in Niagara compared to Ontario, 2021 Census, Niagara CMA
The data also highlights an important distinction between immigrants who completed their education in Canada and those who studied internationally.
Across multiple Census years, immigrants with foreign credentials consistently experienced higher levels of overqualification than those educated in Canada. Niagara mirrors this national and provincial trend, with gaps persisting over time. This suggests that education and experience gained outside Canada may continue to be undervalued or more difficult to assess within hiring processes.
For employers, this can create missed opportunities to connect with highly skilled talent. For newcomers, it can lead to long-term impacts on earnings, career progression, and workforce attachment.
At the same time, many employers continue to navigate challenges related to credential verification, sector-specific licensing requirements, and assessing international work experience. These are complex issues without simple solutions, but the data reinforces the importance of continued collaboration between employers, educators, workforce organizations, and community partners.
Table 1-3: Overqualification of Immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or higher in Niagara compared to Ontario and Canada, 2011-2021 Censuses
Historical research also suggests that overqualification may become more persistent over time for some immigrants. Older immigrants, particularly those aged 55 to 64 with foreign education credentials, consistently experienced higher rates of overqualification across the 2011, 2016, and 2021 Census periods2. This reflects national insights showing that many immigrants who experience skill mismatches early in their careers may continue to face barriers to advancement later in life.
The longer highly skilled workers remain disconnected from opportunities aligned with their qualifications, the more difficult it can become to transition into roles that fully reflect their education and experience.
What this means for Niagara
The data highlights an important challenge, but also a significant opportunity for Niagara’s workforce and economy.
Immigration continues to contribute to regional growth, labour force participation, and workforce renewal. At the same time, many newcomers remain “mismatched” in the labour market despite bringing valuable education, experience, and skills. Addressing this gap requires continued collaboration across sectors and systems.
This includes:
- supporting employers in understanding international credentials and experience
- strengthening pathways for internationally trained professionals
- expanding mentorship, networking, and work-integrated learning opportunities
- improving awareness of workforce and settlement supports
- creating more inclusive hiring and onboarding practices
- strengthening connections between immigration, workforce development, and economic development strategies
As Niagara continues to grow, ensuring newcomers can fully participate in the workforce will remain important not only for individual career success, but also for broader economic resilience and long-term prosperity.
If you’re interested in learning more about immigrant employment in Niagara and our work as Niagara’s Immigrant Employment Council, visit Immigrant Employment Council – Workforce Collective.
[1] Statistics Canada. Table 17-10-0153-01. Components of population change by census division, 2021 boundaries.
[2] Cornelissen et al (2020). Persistent overqualification among immigrants and non-immigrants. Persistent overqualification among immigrants and non-immigrants
[3] Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0650-01. Overqualification (based on skill level C and D) by visible minority, selected sociodemographic characteristics and the census year: Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts