캐나다 한인의 현황과 사회경제적 지위

The Current State and Socioeconomic Status Attainment of Korean Canadians: Inter-generation and Inter-group Comparisons

This paper aims at examining demographic characteristics and socioeconomic statuses of Korean Canadians. Because a shift in generations is one of the most important changes in the Korean Canadian community, we distinguish Korean Koreans into the first, 1.5, and second generations and compare each generation’s social and economic characteristics and statuses. We also compare each generation of Korean Canadians with the corresponding generation of other Asian Canadian groups. The main source of data came from the 2001 Canadian Population Census and 5% microdata of the 2001 Canadian Population Census. The major research findings are as follows. The 1st generation experience disparity between educational attainment/occupational background in Korea and employment and income in Canada. They records higher levels of education than other Asian groups but lower levels of labor force participation, employment, and person incomes. Especially, the poverty rate among people under ages 15 and unattached adults and old people reaches the alarming level. By contrast, the 1.5 and second generations make rapid advancement in education and professionalization and enter mainstream society. At present, the 1.5 and second generations are in the 10-30 age bracket and many of them do not participate fully in the labor force. Once employed, the 1.5 and second generations are more likely than the first generation to work as professionals and administrators and to work in private companies or government than to work as self-employed workers. They are more likely to work in the mainstream economy than in the Korean ethnic economy. The 1.5 and second generations achieve parity with the corresponding generations of other Asian groups in socioeconomic statuses and they even excel other Asian groups in the level of advanced education and professionalization.