The survey used in the Immigrants and Precarious Employment study is the product of an extensive review of questionnaires on relevant topics. We were not able to identify a suitable existing survey that addressed the topic of precarious employment among immigrants in the ways we wanted to explore it. In addition to learning details about immigrants’ employment experiences, and whether the terms of their employment were precarious, we also wanted to know about the individual and family strategies immigrants used to survive in the knowledge economy, and the extent to which these strategies were organized transnationally. In addition, we sought information about the local organizations and institutions with which they came into contact during the process or early settlement, searching for work, and making a place for themselves (and their families).
We developed our research instrument over a period of several months during which the research team brought together and reviewed relevant survey instruments from various countries in order to identify the questions that would best suit our study. Our review covered selected publications and existing surveys from various institutional contexts and subject areas. The latter included ongoing government surveys such as the Census and labour force surveys (i.e. Statistics Canada, Government of Australia), specialized government surveys on immigration (e.g. LSIC), and surveys developed as part of academic research in the area of precarious employment (which often did not focus on immigrants) as well as work on immigrants in areas other than employment (e.g. migration, immigration, and transnational engagements). Our research instrument, which includes closed and open questions, draws on approaches and items from these sources and also includes original material. (See list of surveys reviewed).
The questionnaire includes the following thematic sections: Family & Household; Housing; Socioeconomic Background; Migration Process; Early Settlement; Work (early and current); Social Networks; Use of Services; Civic and Community Participation; Family Economy / Income; and Discrimination. Questions that capture the transnational aspect of respondent’s lives have been woven throughout the survey according to the thematic area to which they correspond. Several sections of the survey focus on the analysis of the experience of precarious employment. A series of detailed questions inquire about participants’ early work experience, particularly the terms of employment and their move into their first stable job in Canada. We developed an index of precarious work in order to qualify the different work experiences that participants went through over time. The section entitled “current job juggle” asks detailed questions about participants’ simultaneous jobs and the terms of employment for each one. The aims of the job juggle section are 1) to understand the level of precariousness in immigrants’ work 2) to identify the main sectors in which they work and, 3) to capture to what extent immigrants piece together multiple partial wages and precarious jobs to constitute a family wage.
The final version of the survey was produced in English and Spanish, for the Caribbean and Latin American respondents in the sample, respectively. It was tested several times, both with the interviewers and in the field, in order to fine tune details that reflected cultural sensitivity factors such as cultural values, educational level and class background. In some cases, the original questions were modified based on values and ideas expressed by participants in the field. Because of the careful thought, research and testing involved in the development of the research questionnaire, the final product is a solid research tool that can be useful, in whole or in part, by researchers and community members interested in precarious employment among immigrants.
Immigrants in the Global Economy Survey - English |
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Immigrants in the Global Economy Survey - Spanish |
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Citation for survey: L. Goldring and P. Landolt. 2005. Immigrants in the Global Economy Survey (English/Spanish). Immigrants in the Global Economy: Precarious Employment and the Transnational Dimensions of Economic Incorporation Project. Toronto: York University and CUCS. Available from: www.arts.yorku.ca/research/ine/research/instrument.html
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This project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).