A Triple Jeopardy: Being an Arab Muslim Immigrant in Canada

As one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in Canada and one of the youngest, the Arab population has more than tripled from 2001 to 2021, to nearly 700,000 in 2021. About 80% of this population are immigrants from the Middle-East (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt) and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), with another 20% being second-generation immigrants who were born in Canada. With three quarters of them being Muslim, they make less than a third of Canada’s Muslim population. Despite these significant numbers, there is very little quantitative research on the socio-economic experiences of Arab Muslim immigrants in Canada, as this important population has received attention in migration research only very recently. Previous studies have found that, despite being one of highly-educated ethnic groups in Canada, the Arab-Canadians are over-represented among those in low-paying jobs, as well as those who are unemployed. Other studies have also shown that, in the Canadian job market, this population suffers from triple disadvantages -- due to being Arabs, Muslims, and immigrants. Using a variety of large-scale data sets – including several Canadian censuses, general social surveys, the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), etc. -- this presentation attempts to make a contribution to the growing research on Arab Muslim immigrants in Canada by looking at the various aspects of their socio-economic experiences.