為什么新移民的工资不如30年前的老移民工资高?
Why are recent Chinese immigrants earning less than immigrants 30 years ago? Part 1 of 2
今年初，大中报曾发表过一篇有关Ichung Chang——一位于2010年7月从台湾来到加拿大的前IT策略和计划顾问的文章。
Earlier this year, Chinese News profiled Ichung Chang, a former IT strategy and planning consultant from Taiwan who came to Canada in July 2010.
与许多移民一样，Chang在抵加后不久便开始参加培训课程和交际活动。大中报在今年5月份对他进行采访时，Chang表示，他在找工作时每周都寄出20到30份简历。
Like many immigrants, Chang began attending training sessions and networking events soon after his arrival. When Chinese News interviewed him in May 2011, he was sending “between 20 and 30” resumes per week.
当时，他对大中报说：“我给自己大概一年的期限，到时候再看看结果怎样。在中国，机会很不错。我大概可以回到亚太地区，看看那里情况如何。”
“I’m probably giving myself a plan, like one year, and we’ll see what turns out,” he told Chinese News at the time. “Back home, the opportunity is quite good, and I probably could go back to the Asia-Pacific region and see what’s going on over there.”
当大中报近期试图联络他以便跟进采访时，他的电话号码却打不通了。
When Chinese News tried contacting Chang recently for a follow-up story, his number had been disconnected.
与Chang有着相同经历的人不在少数。根据约克大学“多伦多移民就业资料行动”的数据显示，在来到加拿大不足5年时间的新移民中，2011年7月份的失业率为13.9%。
Chang’s experience was not unique. According to York University’s Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative, the unemployment rate of recent immigrants – that is, immigrants who have lived in Canada for less than five years – was 13.9 percent in July 2011.
另外，根据加拿大统计局的数据，于2001年到2006年间抵加的移民平均年收入为$1.6万元。而加国非移民的 平均年收入则为$2.7万元左右。
And according to Statistics Canada, immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2006 earn almost $16,000 per year on average. For non-immigrants, the median employment income is around $27,000.
不过，于1991年以前抵加的移民，现在的平均年收入却高达$3.2万元。
However, immigrants who arrived in Canada before 1991 currently earn around $32,000 per year on average.
为什么新老移民在财务收入方面的差距如此之巨？
Why is there such a disparity between the financial success of past immigrants and recent immigrants?
经济学顾问Patrick Grady向大中报表示，过去许多移民在刚来到加拿大时都只能赚得低收入。他说：“有时候，只有第二代移民才能取得成功。”
Economic consultant Patrick Grady tells Chinese News that in the past, many immigrants have earned low wages when first arriving in Canada. “Sometimes it’s only the second generation that’s successful,” he says.
而根据Grady对2006年人口统计资料所做的研究表明，华裔加拿大第二代移民中，年龄在25到44岁的人平均年收入为$48,098元；而同一年龄组的非移民的年收入则为$40,358元。
Indeed, according to Grady’s study of 2006 census data, the average yearly income for second-generation Chinese-Canadians between 25 and 44 was $48,098. The average non-immigrant’s yearly income in the same age group was $40,358.
Grady说：“过去，华裔移民都做得非常好。不过，如果你留意一下来自其他国家的移民，便不难发现其第二代移民似乎普遍存 一些问题。”
“In the past, Chinese immigrants have done very well,” Grady says. However, “if you look at a lot of the other immigrant groups, the second generation seems to be having problems.”
从加拿大统计局对抵加不足4年的移民所做的收入研究来看，“于1998年到2000年抵加的移民，其收入比于1980 年到1982年抵加移民的收入更欠稳定。而前者的收入稳定性也不及于1983年到1985年抵加的移民。”
According to a Statistics Canada study based on earnings within four years of landing, “the earnings instability of immigrants who came to Canada between 1998 and 2000 was substantially higher than the earnings instability of those who came to Canada between 1980 and 1982. It was also higher than the earnings instability of those who came to Canada between 1983 and 1985.”
而不同时期的移民在收入上的差别也加剧了。根据加拿大统计局的数据显示，于1980年来到加拿大的男性移民收入，是加拿大本地出生的男性收入的85%。而到2005年，这一比例降低到了63%；同时，于 2005年抵加的女性移民收入，是加国本地出生的女性收入的56%。
The earning gap has increased as well. According to Statistics Canada, recent immigrants in 1980 earned 85 cents for each dollar earned by Canadian-born men. By 2005, the ratio had dropped to 63 cents for recent immigrant men and 56 cents for recent immigrant women.
虽然新移民接受专上教育的比例比加拿大本地出生者增加得更快，但两者的收入差距却越来越大。
The gap widened despite recent immigrants’ postsecondary attainment rate rising much faster than for people born in Canada.
加拿大统计局的数据表明，2005年，新移民男性中拥有本科文凭者的工资，是加国出生并拥有本科文凭男性的48%。另外，新移民男性中没有本科学历的人，其工资是加国出生但没有本科学历的男性的61%。
According to Statistics Canada, recent immigrant men with a university degree earned 48 cents for every dollar received by Canadian-born male university graduates in 2005. Recent immigrant men with no university degree earned 61 cents for each dollar received by their Canadian-born counterparts.
加拿大统计局表示，女性新移民与加国本地出生的女性在收入方面也有相似的趋势。
Similar patterns were observed among recent immigrant women, Statistics Canada says.
一份2003年所做的名为“华裔移民在加国：他们在构成及经济表现上的变化”的研究表明，“华裔新移民要花12年或更久的时间，才能获得和一般加拿大人 相同的就业收入。”
According to a 2003 study, “Chinese Immigrants in Canada: Their Changing Composition and Economic Performance,” it would take “12 or more years of residency in Canada” for recent Chinese immigrants “to achieve the same employment income as the average Canadian.”
Grady表示，导致这种结果的原因可能有以下几个。
Grady says there are several possible reasons for this.
他说：“我认为，从中国来的移民具体的来源地点发生了改变。此前许多年，华裔移民都不是从中国大陆而来，除非他们准备以难民身份前来， 所以当时很多所谓华裔移民实际上都是来自香港和台湾。”
“I think that there has been a change in where immigrants are coming from in China,” he says. “There were many years when they weren’t coming from the Peoples’ Republic unless they managed to get out as refugees, so a lot of what we would call Chinese immigrants were coming from Hong Kong and Taiwan.”
他继续说：“香港基本上 算是一个发达国家了。如果有人要离开香港而到加拿大来，他们不会要来做一个出租车司机。”
“Hong Kong is basically a developed country,” he continues. “If somebody is going to leave Hong Kong to come here, they’re not going to have a job driving a taxi.”
另一个可能的原因是，拥有大学学历的新移民似乎有更多人会从事那些仅要求低技能的职业。根据加拿大统计局的数据，2005年，在拥有本科学历的男性新移民中，有29.8%的人曾从事过仅要求高中学历的工作。而在拥有同等条件的加拿大本地出生的人中，这一比例仅有11.5%。
Another possible reason is that recent immigrants with a university degree are more likely to be employed in low-skilled occupations. According to Statistics Canada, 29.8 percent of recent immigrant male university graduates worked in jobs that did not require more than a high-school education in 2005. That rate was 11.5 percent among their Canadian-born counterparts.
加拿大统计局指出，拥有本科学历的女性新移民，也比同等条件的加国本地出生者从事低技能工作的比例要高。
Recent immigrant women with a university degree are also more likely to work in low-skilled occupations than their Canadian-born counterparts, Statistics Canada says.
当Grady被问到他认为应如何解决这一问题时，他提供了一些个人的意见，说：“必须减少移民人数。 政府决策者正提高对移民语言的要求，这是对的，而且他们 需要设法将移民申请者的筛选与他们所从事的工作挂钩起来。”
Asked how he thinks the problem can be resolved, Grady says his own personal view “is that immigration numbers have to be reduced.” Government regulators “are tightening up on the language requirements, which is good, and they have to somehow tie the decision about allowing people in more closely to their job,” he says.
Grady 继续说：“我认为，家庭团聚类移民问题非常大，因为 在这种情况下，我们利用经济条件选择移民时，仅用这样的标准来衡量配偶中的一人，而不是对两人都进行评估。”
“I think the family class is very problematic,” Grady continues, “because you select some people based on economic criteria and you only apply the criteria to one of the spouses rather than both.”
Grady 说：“加国向他们敞开了大门，他们进来之后便可以名正言顺地带一些在语言、工作或其他条件上不符合标准的人进来。而你便无法期望后者也取得成功。”
“You let them in, and then they’re able to bring in other people who don’t have to necessarily meet language, or work, or any other criteria,” Grady says. “You wouldn’t expect them to be as successful.”
作为加拿大中国专业人士协会（CPAC）会长，赵慧泉对那些自以为很容易就能找到工作的加拿大新移民，早已屡见不鲜。
As president of the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC), Hugh Zhao has seen his share of recent immigrants arrive in Canada believing they would easily find a job.
“有些新移民把加拿大当成一个梦幻的国度，以为他们在中国是成功人士，因此在加拿大也能很容易地找到工作。然而，直到他们到了这里，才发现现实状况跟想象中大不一样。我们处理过许多这样的案例。”
“We handle many cases where recent immigrants thought Canada was a dream land where they could find a job because they were high achievers back in China,” he says. “But once they come here they find the reality is very different.”
赵指出，新移民在找工作时面临许多障碍。
New immigrants face many obstacles when finding a job, Zhao says.
其中一个障碍是证书问题。他说：“他们在中国或他们的祖国可能是出色的专业人士，一旦他们来到这里，他们的经验或证书可能就不会被承认了。”他表示，这也是CPAC为何启动一系列搭桥计划来帮助外国受训的专业人士在加国找到工作。
One is certification. “They may be outstanding professionals in their field back in China or their own country, but once they come here their experience or credentials may not be recognized,” he says, which is why CPAC runs a number of bridging programs that help foreign-trained professionals find jobs in Canada.
另一个障碍是语言问题。赵说：“虽然我必须承认，现在移民来的专业人士的语言能力已经比20年前移民的人好了很多。”
Another barrier is language. “Though I must comment that today’s professional immigrants have much better language skills than 20 years ago,” Zhao says.
经验问题也是个障碍。赵说：“几乎所有的雇主都要求应聘者有加国工作经验。不过，如果你找不到工作，又怎么来得到加国经验呢？”
Another is experience. “Virtually all employers require Canadian experience,” Zhao says. “And if you can’t find a job how can you have Canadian experience?”
当他被问道，他为什么认为新移民赚的钱不如30多年前抵加的老移民时，赵回答说，过去的华裔移民都把目标放在在加国大学里读研究生课程。
Asked why he believes recent immigrants earn less than immigrants who arrived in Canada 30 or more years ago, Zhao says the goal of past Chinese immigrants was often graduate study at a Canadian university.
他说：“我自己就是个例子。当你从加国大学中获取了硕士学位后进入职场，你的收入可能会比现在的移民高很多。”
“I myself am a good example,” he says. “Once you obtain a graduate degree from a (Canadian) university and go into the workforce, your income will likely be much higher than today’s immigrants.”
现在的华裔移民的受教育程度基本上与一般人口的差不多——在25到54岁年龄段的人群中，有60.3%的华裔加拿大人取得了至少是大学本科证书或学位。根据安省自由党政府的数据显示，安省成年人中，有64%的人都接收了某种专上教育。
Today’s Chinese immigrants are nearly as educated as the general population – among the 25 – 54 age group, 60.3 percent of Chinese-Canadians have earned at least a university certificate or degree. According to the Liberal government, 64 percent of Ontario’s adult population has earned some form of postsecondary education.
由于现在有许多新移民都是在海外接收的专上教育，赵说：“当他们来到加拿大，他们就不会再去追求更高的学历，而是可能会决定找工作。”
Since many of today’s immigrants have earned their postsecondary education overseas, “once they come here they don’t necessarily pursue a higher degree,” Zhao says. “They may decide to find a job.”
赵认为，新移民更倾向于把他们的家人一并带来加拿大，因此就需要立即能有收入。
Zhao also believes that recent immigrants are more likely to bring their families, “so there’s an immediate need for income.”
“他们一般都会参与体力劳动的工作，而这样的工作比专业工作挣的要低得多。”
“Most likely they will engage in a labour intensive job and labour intensive jobs pay much less than professional jobs,” he says.
全加平权会的总干事黃煜文则表示，那些统计数据没有可比性。
Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, says the statistics are “comparing apples with oranges.”
他说：“所有人在过去十年或更长一段时间以来的收入都普遍偏低。我认为，运气好收入没有降低的就只有那些有钱人。”
“Earnings have been flat in real terms for the last ten years, maybe longer, for the whole population,” he says. “I think the only people who have fared well in terms of income have been those who are fairly wealthy.”
根据加拿大统计局的数字显示，有全职工作的加国民众，其中等收入在1980年到2005年期间变化不大，前者为$41,348元（按照其在2005年时的价值），后者则为$41,401元。
Indeed, according to Statistics Canada, the median income for Canadians with full-time jobs changed little between 1980 and 2005, edging up from $41,348 in 1980 (in 2005 dollars) to $41,401 in 2005.
黄说：“你必须用同类事物进行比较。比如你可以说，‘加拿大的新移民——就从其2001年到2006年的收入变化来说——并不怎么顺利。’但如果你拿所有加拿大人在2006年的收入情况与2001年时的相比，你就会发现，他们在这期间的收入情况都不理想。”
“You have to compare apples with apples,” Wong says. “You can say, ‘new immigrants, based on 2006 earnings compared with 2001, are not doing that well.’ But if you compare how Canadians in general did in 2006 compared with 2001, you’ll find they didn’t do well either.”
“如果我回到25年前，即1986年，用那一年和1981年作比较，就可以看出那时的移民收入颇丰。不过，那是因为当时普罗大众的收入情况都不错。”
“If I go back 25 years to 1986, and compare 1986 to 1981, those immigrants did well,” he continues. “But that’s because the general population did well.”
即便如此，他补充道：“我不想回避新移民所面对的障碍。”
That said, he adds, “I don’t want to diminish the barriers that new immigrants face.”
根据加拿大统计局的一项研究显示，在近20年当中，有超过35%的移民都离开了加拿大。在这些人当中，有60%左右的人都是在抵加后一年之内离开的。
Many immigrants leave Canada – more than 35 percent within 20 years, according to one Statistics Canada study. Around 60 percent of those who leave do so within a year of arrival.
C2C 移民法律服务公司的一名合伙人Ivy Li表示，她常常告诉她的客户要“做好准备”。
Ivy Li, a partner with C2C Immigration Office, says she often tells her clients to “be prepared.”
Li常对他们说，“你在中国大陆、香港和泰国都是成功人士，但你需要在加拿大接收教育。并不只是因为雇主要求你有加拿大经验，而是你需要新的知识和新的技术，以便在这个新的国家中调整你自己。”
She tells them, “you are very successful in mainland China, in Hong Kong, in Thailand, but you need to get education again here in Canada,” she says. “Not only because the employer asks you to have Canadian experience – you need new knowledge, new skills to adjust yourself to this new country.”
她说：“我有些客户是做好了准备的，他们又进入学校去读书。”而其他客户都是国际学生，他们只要求在这里有暂住权，并且计划之后返回中国。
“Some of my clients are prepared. They go to school again,” she says. Others are international students who simply ask for temporary resident status, and plan to return to China.
Li说：“我认为，最重要的事是，你要改变你的思维方式。你必须先付出才能得到回报。”
“I think the most important thing is to change your mind-set,” Li says. “You must pay something before you can get a return.”
Li认为，30年前的移民比新移民更加成功的部分原因在于，老一辈人，特别是香港来的移民保留了一种移居的传统，他们可以为了生存而做任何工作。”
Li believes immigrants 30 years ago found more success than recent ones partly because “the old generation, especially from Hong Kong, has a tradition of moving,” she says. “They can do any job just to survive.”
“而新一代移民中大多数人都在中国拥有很高的地位，或者他们有公司或不错的事业。因此，在他们来到加拿大之后，他们用中国好的那一方面来与加国差的作比较。他们无法平衡……他们不愿尽义务。”
“The new generation of immigrants, most of them have a high position in China, or they have a business, a good career,” she continues. “So when they come here they just compare the good part of China with the bad part of Canada. They cannot balance this… They don’t want to pay dues.”
Altec Global Inc.的一名移民顾问江文珊表示，如果要改善新移民的财务状况，加国政府应该增加家庭团聚签证的发放。
Susan Gong, an immigration consultant with Altec Global Inc., says that to improve the financial success of recent immigrants, the Canadian government should increase the number of family reunification visas it offers.
她在一封电子邮件中说：“父母和祖父母对经济能起到帮助的作用。实际上，进入劳工市场的移民要靠父母和祖父母来照看他们的孩子，并帮忙处理家务。”
“Parents and grandparents often aren’t viewed as a help to the economy,” she says via e-mail. “In fact, many immigrants entering the workforce rely on parents and grandparents for child care and help around the home.”
江还表示，政府应该在吸引具有创业精神的移民方面加倍努力。
Gong also believes the government should increase its efforts to attract entrepreneurial immigrants.
她说：“比起加拿大本地出生的人，自雇的移民人数就少得多了。而在出生率较低的加拿大，政府需要移民来帮助经济增长。”
“Immigrants are far more likely than Canadian-born people to be self-employed,” she says. And “with a low birth rate, Canada will need immigrants to help drive economic growth.”
