International Mobility: Patterns of Exit and Return of Canadians, 1982 to 2003

by Ross Finnie
Business and Labour Market Analysis Division
Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series, No. 289

Context

The degree to which workers leave the country was a much-discussed issue in Canada—as elsewhere—in the latter part of the 1990s, although recent empirical evidence shows that it was not such a widespread phenomenon after all, and that rates of leaving have declined substantially in recent years. One aspect that has not yet been addressed, however, is the effect, on individuals' earnings, of leaving the country and then returning.

Objective(s)

This paper presents evidence on how leaving and returning to Canada affects individuals' earnings.

Findings

Overall, leavers-returners have higher earnings than non-movers, both in the pre-departure and post-return periods. In terms of net earnings growth, individuals who were away for two to five years seem to enjoy moderate gains in their earnings levels (in the range of 12%) upon their return, while those who leave for shorter or longer periods do not do as well. Interestingly, these gains seem to be concentrated among those who had the lowest pre-move earnings levels, while those higher up on the earnings ladder generally had negligible gains in earnings or even experienced losses.

Data source(s)

The study uses the data of the Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD).

View the full publication.

---

You need to use the free Adobe Reader to view PDF documents. To view (open) these files, simply click on the link. To download (save) them, right-click on the link. Note that if you are using Internet Explorer or AOL, PDF documents sometimes do not open properly. See Troubleshooting PDFs. PDF documents may not be accessible by some devices. For more information, visit the Adobe website or contact us for assistance.