In the 2021 Census, Canada counted 165 foreign-trained ACB PhD holders of working age. How are they faring?
July 27, 2026 (Waterloo) – New analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census shows African- and Caribbean-born immigrants who arrive in Canada with a doctorate already in hand are stuck, unemployed at 4 times the rate of Canadian-born PhDs, and 1 in 5 working in jobs well below their training.
The pay gap is the sharpest number: $67,000 versus $110,000. That’s what a foreign-trained ACB doctorate holder earns, on average, compared to a Canadian-born one, a $43,000 hole. Work full-time, all year? The gap barely moves.
It’s not that people picked the “wrong” field. They’re just as likely as anyone else to land a job related to their training. The problem is what happens once they get there: the job title, the pay grade, the ceiling.
And it’s not explainable away. Age, language, province, when they arrived, none of it closes the gap. Doctorate holders from Africa and the Caribbean are still 2.5 times more likely to be under-employed than doctorate holders from Europe.
One thing does help a lot: earning the PhD in Canada instead of abroad. That alone triples the odds of landing a job that matches the credential.
The dataset behind all this is small, 165 people, the entire group Statistics Canada’s public data can identify. But the pattern in that small group is loud, consistent, and hard to explain away.
We recommend further research into this group using multiple triangulation methods to explore in-depth their experiences and also use their expertise better for national development. We welcome stakeholders interested in supporting and sponsoring this future study.
Source: CanAfro Research Institute, July 2026. Analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2000-2021 Census.
Read the policy brief and infographic Final Policy Brief and Infographics
Read the full report Full Report Draft African, Caribbean and Black PhD Holders in Canada2
Source: CanAfro Research Institute